Lovesick
by Average Nerd 3456
Summary: *REWRITE OF THE ORIGINAL* Samantha James has to live in White Pine Bay with her half brother, Zack Shelby after she got expelled. There, she meets Norman Bates who develops a major crush on her. Little does she know is that the Bates have a dark secret...Set S1-S5. Complete.
1. Brand New World

The principal's office was eerily silent as Samantha James felt the eyes of her parents and the principal on her. She could care less though since she knew that the "victim" started the fight anyways, so why couldn't they just interrogate the other person?

Samantha was seventeen and in her senior year. She was leggy, which made her appear taller than she really was, with blonde hair that had purple and magenta dyed tips and blue-green eyes, wearing what could be best described as street clothes.

"You're VERY familiar with the school's disciplinary actions, Miss James. Is that correct?" the principal asked.

"Uh…maybe?" Samantha said.

"Disrespectful," the principal said while shaking his head. "For the past several years you've been at this high school, you've done the following: insubordination, aggressive behavior, picking fights, foul language, and smoking."

"We had her quit the beginning of this year." Lilian, Samantha's mother, said.

"Thanks for reminding me, mom…" Samantha said, groaning.

"Mrs. James, your daughter's behavior is a serious issue. She picks fights with other students and severed her relationships with both students and teachers," the principal said.

 _This is all bullshit!_ Samantha thought.

"Samantha, actions have consequences. You should know that by now. You leave me no choice…you are expelled." the principal said.

"What?!" Lillian asked in shock.

Samantha shrugged as she and her parents left the school. They arrived at the car as Arthur, her father, turned towards her with a look of disapproval.

"Sam, your mother and I need to talk to you." he said.

"I honestly don't care, dad." Samantha said while crossing her arms. "I need the space."

"Don't be so disrespectful, Samantha!" Arthur said.

"Listen to your father." Lillian said to her daughter.

"Don't you realize how serious this is, Sam? Losers get themselves kicked out of school for their stupidity." Arthur said.

Samantha rolled her eyes at this while Lilian said, "You gave up an important opportunity to become successful. You're basically throwing away your future!"

"There's nothing wrong with not having a job or being in college, mom." Samantha said.

"Just get in the car, Sam. Your mother and I have to discuss something." Arthur said.

Samantha groaned and got inside the car. Things couldn't get any worse, could it?

* * *

Once they arrived home, she decided to get away from her parents for a bit by going out to the front porch to read. Samantha had no idea why, but she had always enjoyed reading, finding it as an escape from the horrors and annoyances of society.

She was about to turn to the next page of her book when she saw her parents standing there, her father rolling a suitcase near her chair.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"You have two choices, Sam. You either be sent away or you stay here and go to juvie." Arthur said.

"You're seriously sending me away? Nice one, guys…" Samantha said with a scoff.

"No, Sam. We're serious." Lilian said.

"So, who am I living with?" Samantha asked.

"You'll be with your half-brother, Zack Shelby, who lives in Oregon. Your mother called him to come pick you up." Arthur said. "We're doing this to help you."

"I don't need any help, dad. You know that I'm super independent." she said.

Her parents turned towards each other and sighed before Lilian turned to her daughter and said, "Zack should be here any minute now."

Samantha shook her head and placed her book in her suitcase. They truly WERE sending her away…

After what felt like an eternity to her, she saw a car drive up into the driveway before turning towards her parents.

"That's your ride, Sam." Arthur said before handing her the suitcase.

"Be sure to have a good drive and get along well with your brother." Lilian said as she and her husband watched their daughter walk towards the car.

 _Not even a "we'll miss you" or "we love you"? Figures that they're still mad at me._ Samantha thought as she placed her suitcase in the car before taking a seat in the front passenger seat.

"Hey, Sam! It's been a long time." Zack said, watching her get in the car.

"It sure has been…I can't even remember what we talked about." Samantha said with a hint of bitterness in her voice while he started driving.

"So, mom and dad kicked you out, huh?"

"Yeah, I got expelled for some stupid fight that I didn't even start, not to mention all the other crap I did in the past."

"That sucks." Zack said.

"Tell me about it. My parents can be such a pain, you know?" Samantha asked.

"I don't mean to sound like a broken record compared to mom and dad, but you don't always have to fight people."

"I know, they always tell me how lame it is that I tend to fight people…at least, I get some badass battle scars out of it."

She gestured to the faint scar on her cheek as Zack laughed at the last comment before saying, "Another thing I'd like you to do is get a makeover. You dress like you came off the streets, which is a shame since you're so pretty, and I think you would look better without the dyed hair tips. I can pay for it all if you want. "

"Thanks, I guess…" Samantha said.

"We'll get your hair cut and get you a new outfit tomorrow. How about that?"

"Meh, whatever."

* * *

Soon enough, they arrived in Oregon and drove into White Pine Bay.

"Wait, you actually live in this small town?" Samantha asked while looking at her surroundings.

"Well, yeah, I'm the deputy here." Zack said.

"Isn't it weird how I'm some delinquent and you're a cop?"

"A little, but I'm going to help you get out of that ditch of aggressive rebellion."

Samantha let out an exasperated sigh and gazed out the window for the rest of the drive until Zack pulled up to his house. He stopped the car, stepping out with her and grabbing her suitcase while handing it over.

She noticed a creepy, gothic looking house in the distance nearby and raised an eyebrow at this. It looked so out of place compared to the rest of the town, but she didn't question it as she dragged her suitcase into Zack's home.

"Make yourself at home, sis. I'll be on duty tonight, so while I'm gone, maybe you can go out and make some friends. There's this party tonight that I have to stop by midnight." Zack said as he gave her a wink. "Another thing I would like to mention is to NOT go in the basement while I'm gone. It got flooded last month and it's taking forever to get the water out."

"Whatever." Samantha said with a shrug before taking her suitcase upstairs.

She went over into the guest room that was now her room and began unpacking. What could possibly happen in a small town like this?


	2. Changes

Later that night, Samantha parked her brother's car in front of the house where the party was at, knowing that she had to be out of there before midnight. She stepped out of the car and made her way inside.

The music was absolutely deafening with the lights flashing everywhere as she made her way through the sea of people either her age or slightly younger. Once she got out of the crowd, Samantha grabbed an unopen beer bottle nearby and opened it, drinking as she walked.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone, which caused her beer to spill on her shirt. Samantha shot the person who crashed into her a glare.

"Hey, watch where you're going, pretty boy!" she said.

The person that bumped into her was a boy the same age as her with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was staring at her with a nervous expression upon hearing her yelling at him.

"I'm sorry…" he said.

"What the actual hell, man?! You really need to look where you're fucking going!" she said.

"Do you need me to get you some napkins or something? Let me help you." he asked.

"I don't need your freaking help! I've got this."

"Um, okay…"

Then, a girl with dirty blonde hair noticed them talking (well, more like her yelling at him and him being scared) and asked Samantha, "You're new here, right?"

"Yeah? Is that a problem?" Samantha asked.

"Not at all, I'm just curious," the dirty blonde haired girl said. "My name's Bradley by the way."

 _I really don't care…_ Samantha thought.

"Well, at least we have SOMETHING in common. I'm new here too…" the brunette boy said while scratching the back of his head.

Samantha glared at him and gave him a huff before throwing out her beer bottle and leaving the party, unaware that the guy she bumped into was watching her walk towards the exit.

She started the car and began driving home while thinking about him. He was way too innocent and annoying for her tastes, who cares if they had something in common with them both being the new kids?

 _At least I'm out of there. I'll be home before midnight for sure._ Samantha thought.

She soon arrived at her new house and stepped out of the car while walking to the front door, giving a quick glance over at the creepy house she saw earlier. Samantha had no idea why she was curious about it, but she shrugged it off as she walked into her home.

Before she could do anything else, her phone rang and she quickly answered it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, Sam. It's Zack. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be home a bit late. Something came up at that old motel near the house and I have to investigate with my boss, Sheriff Romero." Zack said on the other end.

Samantha raised an eyebrow at this, guessing that he was referring to where the house she was interested about was.

"Are you referring to the Seafairer or whatever it was called?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the one," he said. "So, how was the party? Did you make any friends?"

"Oh god, Zack! It was a disaster! Some idiot made me spill my drink all over my shirt!"

"It was an accident, Sam. Don't get so hung up over it. I'm sure whoever did that to you didn't have any malicious intent. Anyways, why don't you get some sleep? We've got a fun day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Ugh, I guess…" Samantha said with a groan.

"Great! Love you, sis." Zack said.

"Love you too, Zack." she said before hanging up.

With an exasperated sigh, Samantha walked upstairs to her room. She hoped to never bump into the boy from the party again…

* * *

 **The next day**

Samantha stepped out of the salon with Zack while examining where her now cut dyed tips used to be. To her, it felt weird without them since people used to compliment her on them sometimes.

She was also wearing one of the outfits Zack had bought for her earlier, which consisted of a dark purple shirt with a black leather jacket over it, a magenta scarf tied around her neck, and black pants.

"I told you that you would look better without those tips!" Zack said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Samantha said as she playfully punched him on the arm. "Thanks for the new outfits and the haircut."

"No problem. I'm so sorry that we didn't do this way earlier. Something came up with the death of Mr. Martin and I had to look into it." he said, walking from the salon with her.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy."

"I bet."

As the two were almost to the car, Zack stopped her as he saw two blondes walking in their direction. Samantha stared at her brother in confusion while they got closer. Did he know one of those two?

The siblings found themselves face to face with the blondes: one of them was an older woman while the other was a young man.

"Mrs. Bates…" Zack said while nodding at the woman.

"Deputy Shelby, it's good to see you," she said before gesturing to the man with her. "This is my son, Dylan. He just arrived in town."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Dylan said as he crossed his arms.

"Guys, this is my sister, Samantha." Zack said.

"HALF sister, actually." Samantha said, correcting him before turning towards the mother and son. "Everyone calls me Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Sam. How old are you?" the woman, whose name was Norma, asked.

"Seventeen. Why do you ask?" Samantha asked.

"Oooh, she's got a little sass. I like her already." Dylan said with an amused laugh, which made her grit her teeth.

"Dylan!" Norma said to her son as she gave him a glare before smiling at Samantha. "My youngest son is seventeen. You two might get along."

 _Whatever, lady…_ Samantha thought, rolling her eyes.

"So, what brings you two out here?" Zack asked while smiling.

"We're doing some…re-carpeting." Norma said.

Samantha didn't understand what was with the awkward pause she had done before staring at Dylan who seemed unimpressed. She shook her head and looked away from him.

 _He seems like such a dick. Why would I want to be near him if we're too similar?_ she thought.

"Well, it's nice seeing you, Mrs. Bates, but I need to drop Sam off before I leave for work." Zack said before nodding at Dylan. "It was nice meeting you, Dylan."

"Whatever." Dylan said with a scoff before leaving with his mother.

Samantha and Zack got in their car and started the drive back home as he noticed her annoyed expression.

"Something up, Sam?" Zack asked.

"That Dylan guy is an asshole." Samantha said.

"Hey, don't be so judgmental. He could be a nice guy for all we know." he said while driving.

"I don't really care." she said.

"Hey, I have an idea!"

"What?"

"You should get a job." Zack said with a grin. "I have a friend who's the manager of a coffee shop. I can probably have her hook you up with a job."

"A job? Really?" Samantha asked, not impressed with her brother's suggestion.

"Well, yeah. You can't be stuck in my house forever doing nothing as a high school dropout, you know."

"Whatever, I guess."

After a brief pause, she asked, "You seemed to be a bit TOO happy around that Mrs. Bates woman. Do you like her?"

"No! She's a nice person, but she's a bit weird." he said while attempting not to blush.

"Yeah right!" Samantha said with a scoff.

Zack laughed at this and kept driving until they finally reached home. The two brought the shopping bags that had Samantha's new outfits inside, but he stopped upon feeling his phone vibrate and checked his texts.

"Damnit…" he said in disappointment before putting it away. "Sam, I gotta go. Romero needs me to do some work."

"That sucks. Good luck out there." she said, giving him a quick hug before he left.

* * *

Once he was gone, Samantha began taking each of the bags upstairs to her room one by one and hung her outfits up in the closet. She was about to hang her final outfit up when she heard a frantic knock at the door.

Samantha groaned and carefully made her way to the door, wondering who it was. She opened the door and saw a brunette girl the same age as her that she didn't recognize, who had an oxygen tank by her side, along with…the guy from the party, but his face was bruised.

"What?" Samantha asked in annoyance.

"We were trying to get away from these armed guys in the forest. It's a long story if you're up for it, but my friend got injured earlier today and needs some help." the girl said.

Samantha growled to herself upon seeing the person who bumped into her at the party before letting them both in. Part of her felt a bit of sympathy for the other girl upon seeing the oxygen tank get dragged behind her, knowing that she was possibly suffering from some disease.

"You guys just hang out for a bit, I'm going to grab an ice pack." she said while letting them in before going to the fridge and grabbing a small bag of ice from the freezer.

Samantha walked over to where the guy from the party and the girl were and forcefully slammed the ice pack onto the boy's injury, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Hello again." the boy from the party said while wincing at the pressure. "You did something different with your hair…it's beautiful."

"Whatever! I'm not your damn nurse, you know." she said.

"Do you really need to be so harsh?" the brunette girl asked as she watched Samantha.

"Well, yeah, I've always been this way." Samantha said. "Got a name, oxygen girl?"

"I'm Emma. What about you?" the girl said.

"Samantha, but PLEASE call me Sam." she said, giving the boy she bumped into the ice pack.

"T-thank you…" he said as he held onto the pack.

"Whatever. You still spilt beer on me." Samantha said with a groan.

"All this happened because of an accident involving spilt beer?" Emma asked as she raised an eyebrow at this. "You do realize that it's not THAT important, right, Sam?"

Samantha opened her mouth to try to speak, but for the first time in her life, she had nothing to say.

 _Crap, she's right…_ she thought before turning towards the brunette boy she considered the bane of her existence since last night.

"What's your name, pretty boy? You BETTER speak up without trying to help me or giving me a scared look." Samantha asked with a groan.

He just nervously looked her over while realizing that she had a striking resemblance to…his mother. The boy started tapping the ice pack in worry.

"Quit staring at me and tell me your damn name!" she said, which made Emma smack her forehead in disappointment.

"Norman Bates…My name is Norman Bates." he said. "And I overheard your conversation with Emma. I'm guessing your name is Samantha, but you prefer Sam."

Samantha's eyes widened in shock upon hearing his last name, remembering the weird blonde woman and her son from earlier.

 _Is this her youngest son that she was talking about? And he's the guy from the party…shit…_ she thought.

"Yeah, everyone calls me Sam." Samantha said with a nod. "Well, you two probably need to leave. My brother's not home and he would probably kill me if he finds out that I've had two people over without me telling him."

Norman hesitated upon hearing this and looked away while still clutching onto the ice pack. He didn't want to leave her since ever since they accidently bumped into each other at the party, he felt attracted to her.

Emma shook her hand and said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sam."

"Same to you, Emma." Samantha said while watching her leave with Norman who awkwardly waved at her.

With a sigh, she went to grab one of her books and began reading.


	3. Breaking and Entering

Samantha always had a dislike for waking up super early in the morning and guessed that the reason behind this was because that she had to wake up for school at the earliest hour possible thanks to her parents.

After getting dressed in a black shirt with a dark red jacket and purple pants as well as tying her hair back in a ponytail, she walked downstairs in exhaustion and met up with Zack, who was waiting for her.

"So, are you ready for your first day of work?" he asked her while smiling.

"I guess." Samantha said with a shrug. "It's better than nothing like you said."

"You're gonna like Amy. She was that friend I was talking about yesterday. I managed to get her to hook you up with a job as a barista." Zack said.

"Uh, thanks…"

"You're welcome, Sam. I'm actually working a bit late tonight, so you get the house to yourself."

"And I still am not allowed to go in the basement…" Samantha said.

"Exactly." Zack said, nodding before checking the time. "Well, I guess we both better be going. You have your job, I have mine."

"Alright, see you later then," she said as they both walked outside together.

"Bye, Sam. You'll be great, I promise." he said before giving her a hug and getting into his car.

Samantha watched him leave while stepping inside the other car. She gave the nearby house that interested her so much one more look before starting her drive to work.

She parked near the coffee shop and walked into the building, hoping that this job won't be disappointing.

 _This Amy chick better be as great as Zack said…if she turns out to be weird or annoying, I'm gonna puke…_ Samantha thought in annoyance.

She walked up to the counter and just took in her surroundings until someone asked her, "Can I help you, miss?"

"Yeah, are you Amy?" Samantha asked, staring at the woman who was standing there.

She was a few years older than her and had brown eyes and red hair with an apron covering her outfit.

"Yes, that's my name." Amy said. "What's yours?"

"Samantha, but call me Sam. My half-brother is a friend of yours and he hooked me up with a job here." Samantha said while glancing at the work station.

"Oh! You're Zack's sister!" Amy said in surprise before grabbing her arm and dragging her behind the counter. "He told me a lot about you."

"I'm sure he has…" Samantha said as she grabbed a nearby apron and tied it around her.

"Your job is to make the drinks and give them to the customers. You do know how to work a coffee machine, right?"

"I've got this, Amy. I don't need any help."

Her new manager shrugged as some customers started coming in. Samantha hated to admit it, but she found her job a bit boring since it was make coffee or tea, give it to the customer, and repeat.

 _Wow, Zack…thanks, but this is kind of boring…_ she thought.

A familiar dirty blonde haired girl wearing sunglasses approached the counter while Amy took her order. Samantha got to work while gazing at the girl, recognizing her as Bradley, the girl from the party that pointed her and Norman out as the new kids.

She handed her the coffee she ordered and watched her leave while Amy shook her head and said, "Poor girl lost her father yesterday."

Samantha remembered Zack talking about some Mr. Martin guy who died the other day. Could it possibly be her father? Now, she felt a little bad for not really caring about her when they met.

"That sucks." she said while moving onto the next customer.

"I know. First, Keith Summers goes missing and now this." Amy said with a nod.

 _So many crazy things shouldn't happen in a small town like this. That's really weird…_ Samantha thought suspiciously.

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

The shift was finally over as Samantha hung up her apron, feeling grateful that she was able to head back home.

"It was nice getting to know you, Sam." Amy said as she put up her apron.

"Same to you, Amy. Honestly, I'm not a people person, but you were easy to talk to." Samantha said.

"I'm glad you're getting comfortable with this town. Have a good night."

"See you, Amy."

Samantha went outside and walked into her car before driving back home. Once she arrived, the inside of the house was quiet without Zack greeting her.

 _Great! I have the entire house to myself until he comes back._ Samantha thought with a relieved sigh.

To her, this was a great opportunity to be alone since back when she was living with her parents, they wouldn't even trust her with being on her own in the house. Samantha went to her room and decided to grab three of her favorite books: Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Frankenstein.

She spent majority of the night reading after putting her pajamas on by reading the books in the living room, occasionally checking the time on her phone. Samantha turned a page as she kept her focus on the book she was reading, unaware of the sound of the window opening upstairs.

She swore she heard footsteps from the stairs, but shook her head and assumed that her mind was playing tricks on her since she was getting a little tired. Samantha just continued reading and didn't notice the figure walking nearby.

* * *

Norman HAD to get that belt back, it's what his mother would want him to do. Breaking into someone's house was the last thing he expected to do, but this was all for the only parental figure he has after his dad's death.

He looked around the living room, but couldn't find the belt anywhere. His eyes darted towards where Samantha was reading as he quietly walked over to where she sat.

Norman continued to watch her, noticing that she acted like a completely different person while reading. Where was this version of Samantha during the party when they first met? She was unaware that he was watching her as she moved a few loose strands of hair back into place as she read.

Impulsively, he slowly began stroking her cheek and grasped some of her hair, running his fingers through it and held it against his face while breathing in her vanilla perfume as he tried to not make any sounds to disturb her.

 _Oh no! The belt! I completely forgot!_ Norman thought as he let go of Samantha's hair and ran towards the basement.

Samantha jumped upon hearing the door to the basement slam closed.

"What the?" she asked herself before grabbing her books to put them away.

The blonde was about to head upstairs before seeing Zack talking to Dylan from the window near the door as well as hearing crashing from the basement. What was going on tonight? Was she just hearing and seeing things?

Samantha watched Zack walk pass Dylan who began making his way back to his own home as her brother entered the house.

"Sam? You're still up?" he asked with a confused expression.

"I just decided to do some reading. There's nothing wrong with that, you know." Samantha said while holding her books close.

"I'm guessing that you had a good first day of work?" Zack said.

"It was alright, nothing special, but just okay. Amy's nice though." Samantha said with a shrug.

"Oh, if you're bored, that's fine. I understand that you can't be a barista your entire life…I have an idea! Why don't you take the GED tomorrow after work? You could join me on the force!"

"Meh, I don't know."

"Come on, please?" Zack asked, grinning.

Samantha thought about this for a bit, still finding ironic that she was related to a cop while she was a delinquent who got expelled, was known for picking fights, and smoked during two years of high school.

 _Maybe, just maybe, this could make things more interesting for me than the normal, boring routine of making drinks and giving them to customers…_ she thought.

"Why not?" Samantha asked while shrugging.

Zack smiled and hugged his sister, which made her nearly drop her books. Once he was done, he said, "Why don't you get some sleep? I just need to clean the basement a bit."

She nodded and went to her room, wondering why so many weird thing were happening in town…


	4. Sibling Bonding

**The following day after her shift…**

After saying goodbye to Amy for the day, Samantha immediately walked to the police station to prepare herself for the GED. She HAD to make Zack proud since he did so much for her and she wanted to return the favor.

 _Thank freaking god that I won't be bored anymore if I pass…_ Samantha thought in relief.

She pulled out her phone and began texting Zack that she was on her way before suddenly nearly bumping into someone.

"Hey! Watch—" Samantha began to say before realizing who it was. "Oh! Um, hey, Emma. Sorry about that."

"Hi, Sam. What brings you out here?" Emma asked.

"I just finished my shift, so I'm on my way to take the GED since my brother wants me to be a cop like him." Samantha said.

"Really?! Sam, that's great!"

"I guess it is. Another thing I want to mention is that you're right, I can be a bit too harsh at times. Don't tell anyone else, alright?"

"I promise." Emma said as she began walking in the other direction. "Good luck, Sam!"

"Uh, thanks." Samantha said with a nod before continuing to make her way to the police station.

Upon arriving, she took a deep breath and casually entered the building.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Samantha met up with Zack, who was waiting for her outside.

"So, how did it go?" he asked with a smile.

"I passed." she said.

Immediately, Zack yanked his sister into a hug and was holding onto her so hard that Samantha couldn't breathe.

"That's amazing, Sam! I'm SO proud of you!" he said happily.

"Zack! Jeez, I can't…" she said.

He let her go upon seeing her distressed state and chuckled while messing up her hair and saying, "Sorry about that, sis. This calls for a celebration. We can eat out together!"

"Why the hell not? Let's do it." Samantha said with a shrug.

Zack grinned and gestured her to follow him to his car while she ran after him in hopes to catch up to her half-brother.

During this time, she decided to call Amy to tell her the good news.

"Amy, guess what?" she asked. "I passed the GED!"

"Congrats, Sam! That's great! Be sure to tell me more about it tomorrow." Amy said.

"I will, don't worry." Samantha said in a reassuring tone.

"See you tomorrow then." her manager said before hanging up.

The blonde teen put her phone back in her pocket as she got into Zack's car.

* * *

 **Later…**

"…and that's how my attempt to bond with Mrs. Bates' sons went downhill." Zack said before taking another bite of his food.

Samantha nodded upon hearing him finish his story about what he had done while she was doing her shift. It still made her feel weird that so many horrible and odd things were happening in a small town.

"That was some story." Samantha said before clearing her throat. "Zack, I wanted to tell you thanks for everything. I don't want to sound too sappy, but thank you for taking care of me and helping me act a little better. Without you, I would be stuck in juvie back home."

"It's nothing, Sam. You're my sister, and I'll do whatever I can to help you out." Zack told her.

She smiled at him before noticing two familiar figures sitting nearby and groaned upon noticing that one was a brunette and the other had dirty blonde hair.

"Oh great…" she said.

"Something wrong, Sam? You look annoyed." Zack asked when he saw her expression.

"That's the guy from the party, the one who spilt beer on me accidently. That girl he's with pointed me and him out as the new kids. I've seen her in the coffee shop several times too. I feel sorry about what happened to her dad though."

"You're STILL hung up on that?"

"A little." Samantha said after taking a moment to think about it as she stared at them.

"You like him, don't you?" Zack asked in a taunting tone, beginning to write up the check.

"Oh my god, Zack! I don't like him!"

"You don't have to lie to me or yourself. I can clearly see the way you're looking at him."

"Shut up!" Samantha said before playfully elbowing him in the ribs.

"Hey, you know I'm right." Zack said while handing the waiter the check.

Samantha rolled her eyes before noticing that the two banes of her existence had left together.

 _At least I don't have to look at those idiots…especially that Bates kid._ she thought.

Zack placed his credit card back into his wallet before getting up from his seat and asking, "Ready to go?"

"I was born ready!" Samantha said in determination as she got up and walked out with him.

Maybe living here wasn't as bad as she thought…


	5. Tragedy

The next day, Samantha was busy working her shift with Amy by doing her usual job and talking to her.

"So, only two more tests left, huh?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, it's the entrance exam for the police academy and this psychology test." Samantha said while handing one of the customers their drink.

"That sounds exciting." Amy said as she handed Samantha the next order. "Did you hear that Mrs. Bates got arrested last night? It was for the murder of Keith Summers."

She held her breath upon hearing that: the weird blonde lady she met was a killer? Now, this town seemed crazier than she ever believed.

Before she could speak up, her phone rang. Samantha pulled out her phone and realized that Zack was calling her.

"Uh, my brother's calling me. Mind if I step outside?" she asked Amy.

"Go on." her manager said while watching her step outside.

Samantha stepped outside and answered her phone, asking, "What's up, Zack?"

"I'll be working late tonight. I have to do an interrogation and Sheriff Romero wants me to do an investigation of the crime scene regarding last night's arrest." Zack said.

"Oh yeah, Amy told me about it. I should go back to doing my shift. Be careful out there, Zack."

"Thanks, Sam! Do your best out there."

Samantha laughed and bid her brother farewell before hanging up and returning to work.

"So, how's Zack doing?" Amy asked, watching her friend continue her shift.

"He's doing well, but he's working late tonight." Samantha said as she gave her next customer their coffee.

While she was still bored with her job, she knew that she had to make the best of it before she becomes a cop…

* * *

 **Several hours later**

 _Thank god, my shift is over!_ Samantha thought in relief.

"Bye, Amy." she said as she walked out of the coffee shop.

The blonde teen got in her car and began her drive back home. All she thought about was that crazy arrest Amy was telling her about and how she unwillingly met a killer when she crossed paths with Mrs. Bates.

 _I met a killer, not really what I expected…_ she thought.

Samantha arrived at her home and pulled up to the driveway, stopping the car and getting out of it. She gave another glance of the gothic house that fascinated her before entering her own house.

Doing what she had done the night before, she changed into her pajamas and grabbed her favorite books to do some reading.

As she read, Samantha felt like she was getting used to living in White Pine Bay despite the insanity that was occurring since she had a brother who cared about her and two friends who liked her. At least it was better than living with her parents in Seattle…

She was about to move onto the next chapter of one of her books when she heard three gunshots outside when the night had gotten in its later hours.

"What the hell?" Samantha asked herself.

She went back to reading, but heard the sounds of sirens from police cars coming from outside after the gunshots were fired. The blonde teen continued flipping through her book until someone started knocking at the door.

Samantha put her book down and walked over to the door, answering it to find Sheriff Romero standing there.

"What's up, Sheriff Romero?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and turned towards the other cops that were with him before saying, "Sam, you may have heard shots, someone was trying to kill me."

Samantha raised an eyebrow at this. What was going on?

"It was in self-defense because he tried to kill me. I'm so sorry, but the person who tried to kill me...was your brother, Zack." he said.

She looked away from him while trying hard not to cry. Sobbing her eyes out was the last thing she wanted to do in front of someone since she was known for being tough.

"I…need a moment to process this." Samantha said.

Sheriff Romero nodded in understanding and left with the other cops as she closed the door. Samantha slowly grabbed her books and went to her room before putting them away and passing out on her bed, crying to herself.

Now, what was she going to do without her brother?


	6. Starting Over

After the funeral ended, Samantha needed more time alone while still trying to comprehend what had happened to her half-brother and the secrets that he was keeping. Who knew that Zack turned out to be corrupt?

She leaned against a tree while watching people walk around or out of the cemetery, not knowing how she should feel regarding this whole mess.

"Sam?" someone asked her from behind.

Samantha turned and saw Amy standing there with a concerned expression.

"Hey, Amy. I know this probably hit you pretty hard as well." she said.

"I understand, all we could do is move forward. He may have done some horrible things, but he took care of you and got you out of a tight spot. You and I should remember the good over the bad for him." Amy said. "And you're free to take some time off from work if you want."

"I appreciate the offer, but it's fine." Samantha said.

They briefly hugged before her manager left the blonde teen alone again. Annoyed from all the waiting, Samantha decided to leave, but ended up running into her parents.

"Sam, are you alright?" Arthur asked in worry.

"I'm fine, dad. I just…need some time to myself." she said.

"Why don't you come back to Seattle, Sam? We can forget about you going to juvie and you can go home." Lilian said.

Samantha groaned to herself, knowing how typical it was for her parents to constantly worry over her, before saying, "I'm staying here, guys. I don't want to go back to Seattle. I turn eighteen in a few weeks, which means that I'm at least with an adult."

"But—" her mother began to say.

"We understand, Sam. We talked to Mr. Decody, who's the father of your friend, Emma. You can stay with them." Arthur said.

"Goodbye, Sam." Lilian said.

"Bye, mom, dad." Samantha said while watching them leave.

Samantha shook her head and immediately got in her car, driving to Zack's house to pack her things. She stormed inside as she grabbed her suitcase and began stuffing her outfits inside before pulling out her phone to give Emma a call.

"Hello?" her friend asked on the other end.

"Hey, Emma. It's Sam. Feel free to come pick me up now." Samantha said.

"Alright, I'll come get you. I'm so, so sorry about what happened to your brother." Emma said.

"I know. See you later." she said with a sigh.

Samantha dragged her suitcase behind her and waited until she saw Emma drive up near the house. She placed her bag in the backseat and sat in the front passenger seat next to her friend.

The start of the drive was mostly in silence since neither one of the girls knew what to say about the situation.

Emma broke the silence upon seeing the scar on Samantha's cheek and asked, "How did you get that scar?"

"Funny story, actually. Got this sucker around the beginning of sophomore year. I was fighting with some meat headed idiot who thought he was so tough and the bastard pulled his switch blade on me and cut my cheek." Samantha said.

"Alright then. You're gonna love living with me and my dad, Sam."

"I hope so."

 _This better be worth it._ Samantha thought.

Soon enough, they arrived at what the blonde would now consider her new temporary home. Emma stepped out the car and took out her oxygen tank while Samantha grabbed her suitcase.

The two walked inside where Emma's father was working on some taxidermy. Upon seeing them, he stopped working and approached them.

"Hello, Emma." he said before seeing Samantha. "I guess this is the Sam girl you were talking about."

"Hey, sir." Samantha said.

"Sam will be staying us for a few months." Emma told her father.

He nodded and went back to work while the brunette girl led Samantha to her room. Once they arrived, she smiled at her.

"Nice place." Samantha said while looking around.

"Feel free to make yourself at home." Emma said. "Do you need any help unpacking?"

"I'm good. I got this."

"Oh…"

 _So, this is my new life…_ Samantha thought.

She then began unpacking, wondering what she was going to do now...

* * *

 **Later…**

Samantha was busy reading and trying to get her mind off of all the insanity of last night. Why did this have to happen to her? She understood why Sheriff Romero had to kill Zack, but there was something at the back of her mind that was telling her that it was all a lie since people lied all the time.

She was about to turn to the next page when Emma walked in and asked her, "Hey, Sam, guess what?"

"Good lord, Emma! You scared the shit out of me!" Samantha said, jumping at this.

"Sorry about that."

"Alright, tell me. What's up?"

"I just got a job over at the motel."

"That's great." Samantha said before getting up and taking her book with her. "I'm going to be hanging out while your dad's working."

"Okay then. That's fine." Emma said, nodding.

Samantha walked over to where he was doing his work, but he was teaching someone she definitely didn't want to see: Norman, the guy from the party.

 _You're the last person I wanted to see, Bates…_ she thought in annoyance.

Avoiding eye contact, she opened her book and began reading as she walked over and took a seat a slight distance away from them.

Samantha was about to get to the turning point of the story while drowning out the conversation in her mind when someone beside her asked, "What are you reading?"

She looked up from her book and glared at Norman, who was working on what appeared to be a taxidermy dog.

"The book is called None of Your Fucking Business." Samantha said before keeping her concentration on the book.

"I can clearly see that the title says Phantom of the Opera though." Norman said, pointing out the cover.

"No shit, Sherlock." she said while still reading.

 _At least he knows how to shut up for once._ Samantha thought upon seeing that he had no reaction.

She kept reading through her book until she felt him tap on her shoulder.

"Sam, do you want to see what I'm working on?" Norman asked. "I can tell you about this dog. Her name was Juno. I found her wandering near the motel."

"I don't care." Samantha said, not looking up from her book.

 _What an overly innocent, annoying idiot…_ she thought.

"Sam, I'm sorry about what happened to your brother."

"You're the millionth person to tell me that today, you know that?"

"I'm honored." Norman said with a slight smile.

"Do you even understand sarcasm?" Samantha asked him in an annoyed tone.

Suddenly, much to her surprise, he laughed at this comment. She rolled her eyes at this and kept reading, occasionally grumbling that he was an idiot.

After a while, Norman picked up his new taxidermy piece and said to Samantha before leaving, "Bye, Sam."

"Whatever." Samantha said as she still read her book.

She was never going to get away from him, was she?


	7. The Road to Recovery

The next day, Samantha decided to take the day off from work to give herself a bit of time to recover from Zack's death. She was out on a walk on her own through the town since Emma was at school.

 _What's up with this town? First, I met a killer, and now, my brother turned out to be a corrupt cop. Everyone's acting as if nothing's wrong…_ Samantha thought as she walked.

Her thoughts were quickly broken when she saw someone waving her over and calling her name in the distance. Raising an eyebrow at this, she ran over to this person, but her mood soured upon seeing that it was Dylan.

"Oh, it's you…" Samantha said with slight venom in her voice.

"Are you really mad at me for no reason?" Dylan asked as he crossed his arms. "I only wanted to talk. I'm also sorry about your brother."

"I'm only angry at you because I think that we won't get along because we're too alike."

"THAT'S why you don't like me? Really, Sam?"

"Well, yeah." Samantha said, walking alongside the blonde man. "Also, thanks for your concern."

"I want to make amends with you since we sort of went off on the wrong foot when we first met. I was new in town and I got in a fight with my brother, not to mention that my mom can be such a pain." Dylan said to her.

"I can feel your pain regarding your mom. I'll be willing to make amends with you if that's what you want."

"Awesome. You're right, we are alike. I mean, we have the same personality, we're both blonde, and we have relatives who are psychopaths. We're also survivors."

As he said the last bit, he gestured to the scar on Samantha's cheek. She playfully punched him in the arm and rolled her eyes at him. Dylan didn't seem as bad as she originally thought…

"It was great to make amends, Dylan." Samantha said.

"Yeah, it feels good." he said before checking his watch. "I should get going. See you around, Sam."

"Bye, Dylan." she said as she watched him leave.

Samantha began her trek home while thinking about how Dylan wasn't as bad as he seemed despite how they first met. Maybe they could be good friends…

* * *

 **Later that night…**

She sat in Emma's room while reading her book, relieved that she had time to herself. Her friend had gone off to some school dance with Norman and it made Samantha happy that she didn't have to go.

She never enjoyed dancing or any school parties, preferring to go to the other students' insane parties that involved troublemaking and under aged drinking while their parents were gone.

As the blonde teen prepared to turn the next page, Emma suddenly stormed in while dragging her oxygen tank in. She groaned and took a seat on her bed.

"What's wrong? The dance turned out lame? If so, I totally called it." Samantha asked.

"No, the dance was fine…Sam, it's about Norman. He wouldn't stop looking at Bradley." Emma said. "Did I mention that she already HAS a boyfriend?"

 _Ugh, anyone, BUT Bradley…_ Samantha thought.

"I remember that bitch. She was at the party I met Norman at and pointed us out as the new kids in town." she said with an annoyed sigh, remembering the party.

"That wasn't rude though. I'm guessing you were still mad about the beer thing?" her friend asked. "And regarding Norman, he's my friend, not to mention a nice guy, but he can be so weird at times. It's concerning..."

"Norman's an idiot. He's so annoying and overly innocent. Yesterday, while I was reading, he wouldn't stop bugging me."

"Aren't you overreacting a little again, Sam?"

"Maybe I am, but he can be so infuriating. He's been driving me nuts ever since the beer accident." Samantha said.

"Why don't you try to give him a chance? There's more to Norman than what you saw with him bumping into you and trying to get your attention while you were reading." Emma asked.

"Do I REALLY have to?"

"Well, I can't be your only friend. You might get sick of hanging out with me so much."

Samantha wanted to protest about this, but didn't comment as she let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine…" she said.

 _Sam, what have you gotten yourself into?_ Samantha thought with a groan.


	8. Normal Again

**Four months later…**

Samantha was busy working her shift at the coffee shop with Amy as she handed a customer their drink. Life had returned to normal for her after her eighteenth birthday when she moved back into Zack's house and took the entrance exam for the academy, which she ended up passing.

"I still can't believe that Blair Watson was murdered…" Amy said while taking the next order.

"Tell me about it, the whole town hasn't shut up about it." Samantha said as she made the drink and gave it to the customer who requested it.

 _It's like this town is attracting criminals…_ she thought.

"Did you hear about that Bradley girl? She tried to commit suicide, so they put her in the mental institution." Amy asked.

Samantha's blood turned cold upon hearing that, feeling sympathetic for the girl she hated for stupid reasons. First, her father died, now she tried to kill herself?

"Amy, I have an honest question…"

"Go on, Sam. Ask away."

"Do you think that this town has gone crazy?" Samantha asked nervously.

Amy was silent for a moment as she thought about it and said, "I didn't expect things to go downhill so quickly. I know the town gets its money illegally, but I couldn't possibly imagine all these murders and crime happening."

"This all doesn't feel right…"

"I know, Sam. Things aren't what they seem."

Samantha nodded in agreement and continued her shift. Someone had to do something about all this chaos…

* * *

 **After her shift…**

Feeling uneasy, she drove up to the cemetery and parked her car near the gate. Samantha stepped out of the car while carrying a bouquet of flowers as she made her way to Zack's grave.

"Hey, Zack." she said while cleaning the tombstone and removing the old flowers to replace them with the bouquet she had with her.

 _Great, now I'm talking to myself again…_ Samantha thought.

"Anyways, you know that I already said that I passed the entrance exam last week, but I wanted to tell you about all the insane things Amy was telling me about." she said. "She's doing well by the way. Back on topic, some English teacher got murdered and that Bradley girl from the party tried killing herself…"

The blonde girl found herself rambling on and on to the grave about everything that was happening in town as well as other things that were happening in her life, unaware that she was being watched.

* * *

Norman kept a tight grip on the flowers he was holding as he walked to Miss Watson's grave. He had felt incredibly guilty for not being there to stop her killer and wished that his mother would understand why he found himself visiting the graveyard all the time.

As he approached his teacher's grave, he stopped and saw Samantha talking to her half-brother's tombstone. Norman felt his heart racing as he looked at the flowers and then back at her before shaking his head and placing the bouquet down.

 _No…I can't possibly interrupt her when she's doing this._ he thought.

He slowly pulled out his phone and began taking pictures of her standing there, hoping to not be spotted.

Norman let out a shaky breath while looking at one of the photos he took and zoomed in to get a better look at Samantha's features. He began to stroke the phone screen while taking in every detail of her appearance.

To him, Samantha was a beautiful thing in a world filled with so much evil despite how harshly she treated him.

During the time Norman spent with her and Emma for the past four months, he realized that her attitude seemed different compared to when they met at the party. Even though she still gave him the occasional glare and called him an idiot, Samantha had gotten…calmer around him.

He tried to approach her while she was still at Zack's grave before realizing that his mother might be worried sick about him.

 _Mother will kill me if she realizes that I took too long! She already hates that I'm here._ Norman thought as he ran back to where his mother's car was parked.

He took out his phone and looked at the picture of Samantha again while trying to keep his breath steady and tried to think about something else like what new animal he was going to make into a new piece of taxidermy, but she was all he could think about.

And Norman loved that she was the only thing on his mind…


	9. A Boy and his Fox

The next day, after her shift, Samantha said goodbye to Amy before she got in her car and began her drive home, thinking about what her manager was talking about today. Apparently, some major drug dealer was murdered, presumably by rival dealers, and that Bradley was released from the mental institution.

 _Back with all the weird stuff happening in town…_ she thought.

Ever since yesterday, she was relieved to talk things out to Zack's grave at the cemetery. Samantha got out of her car upon arriving at home as she gave the creepy house a look. It had been forever since she had last gazed at it.

After all this time, it still fascinated her while walking into her house.

"Home sweet home…" Samantha said to herself with a sigh.

She went upstairs to her room and grabbed her copy of The Fox and the Hound, a book she got from Emma for her eighteenth birthday. Then, the blonde teen stepped outside and began reading.

The story fascinated her with the ever-changing human living, Tod trying to live out his life in the wild, and Copper and his owner constantly hunting him. She enjoyed reading about how the fox kept outrunning his enemies no matter what they tried.

She was about to get to the part where a rabies outbreak occurred in the fox population when she heard someone calling her name.

Samantha closed her book and placed it down, standing up as Norman approached her while keeping his hands behind his back as he walked up the stairs to the front porch where she was.

"Hey, Norman. What's up?" she asked.

"I'm just here to see you, Sam." he said before holding out a taxidermy fox to her. "I made you this."

Her eyes widened upon seeing this. How did he know that she loved foxes? Samantha took the stuffed fox from him and examined it, not sure what to say.

"Thanks, I guess…" she said with a shrug.

Norman knew that she was going to react this way since she was still a bit harsh on him as he watched her grab her book.

"So, what are you reading? Is that the book Emma gave you for your birthday?"

"Duh, of course, it's the book Emma gave me. It's called The Fox and the Hound."

"You're finally telling me what you're reading without blowing me off?" Norman asked.

"Whatever, idiot." Samantha said with a scoff.

He laughed at this as she rolled her eyes and opened her book, concentrating on her reading while hoping that he would leave soon enough.

Watching her read made him breathless while he felt his muscles tighten just by looking at her. The way she kept her focus and acted as if she were sucked into the story was enough for him to forget about his mother's ridiculous request of them doing community theater.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him in an annoyed tone.

Norman jumped at this, blushing as he looked away. He should've expected this reaction out of her…

"N-Nothing," he said while clearing his throat. "You know, you're lucky to have so much freedom. Sometimes, I'm almost always stuck with my mother telling me what to do."

"Parents can be a pain. Mine couldn't even trust me to be alone in the house."

"My mother said that she and I should do community theater and audition for a musical."

"A musical? Please! Those are so lame!" Samantha said.

"According to her, she and I used to sing all the time, but we don't do much anymore. It's not my thing…" Norman said while tapping on his watch.

"Then, maybe we can hang out sometime? I mean, as friends, not a date." she said.

He bit his lip in fear upon hearing that. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his mother, but the fact that Samantha wanted to hang out with him made him excited. Norman wanted to be with her without having Emma, Dylan, or his mother watching their every move.

 _I could finally be alone with her. It would be perfect…_ he thought.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Norman said.

"Remember, we're doing this hangout AS FRIENDS. It's NOT a date." Samantha told him sternly.

"I understand. Bye, Sam."

"See you, Norman."

She watched him leave while picking up her book and the fox, walking inside her house. Samantha went up to her room and placed the fox on her nightstand before sitting on her bed to do more reading.

Maybe Norman wasn't as bad as she originally thought…


	10. Regret

_Another day, another shift…_ Samantha thought with a sigh as she worked her shift.

Suddenly, something on one of the newspapers the customers was reading caught her eye: the headline read _SEARCH ENDED_ with Bradley's picture underneath.

She felt the urge to vomit while covering her mouth to stop herself from throwing up, feeling consumed with guilt. To think that she hated someone for a stupid reason without knowing anything, but now, said person was dead.

 _Oh shit, she…actually did it?_ Samantha thought.

"Sam, are you alright?" Amy asked before noticing her reaction. "Oh…so you heard?"

"She's dead?" she said, still in disbelief.

"They found her clothes and a suicide note on the beach. I'm still in shock too."

"I…I don't really feel so good…"

"Are you sure you'll be alright? I can let you go home early if you want." Amy asked her.

 _I only knew one side of her. Why do I even feel bad?_ she thought.

"S-Sure. Maybe I need some time off…" Samantha said as she nodded and took her apron off.

"Bye, Sam." Amy said while watching her leave.

She stepped outside and took out her phone, checking her texts as she leaned against her car. Both Emma and Norman hadn't texted her in a while, which made the blonde assume that they were possibly doing a memorial for Bradley.

Dylan also hadn't texted her and it was a concern since he was like a brother to her. He was no Zack, but she still appreciated his company.

Groaning, she got into her car and drove home. All that was on her mind was how the town seemed to continue slipping into insanity with the more crimes and deaths that happened. Samantha wanted to stop it from continuing further, but how was she going to do it?

Once she got home, Samantha immediately went upstairs to her room and passed out on her bed, exhausted from what she heard about.

* * *

 **The next day, after her shift**

She entered her house when she got a text from Emma, much to her relief.

 _Norman's being a pain._ it read.

Samantha laughed to herself at this. Looks like she finally was coming around and seeing him as an idiot too…

 _So, what happened?_ she wrote back.

 _He says it's a "family matter". We also found his brother drunk in his car._ Emma responded.

She gasped, something was wrong?

 _I can go check on him…maybe you, me, and Norman can hang out?_ Samantha wrote.

Her phone buzzed and another text from Emma popped up. She felt her heart sink a bit upon seeing her response.

 _Sorry, I have to do work for the motel, so I can't…_ it read.

Samantha let out a sigh and turned off her phone before grabbing The Hunchback of Notre Dame to do some reading. Nothing like a story where everyone dies in the end to cheer her up…

She gazed over at the taxidermy fox that sat on the nightstand before rolling her eyes and returning to her book.

 _What an idiot._ Samantha thought.

After flipping through pages and pages of descriptions of the architecture and religion as well as the events of the story, it started to get late. She picked up her phone and checked her texts, but had no responses.

What's been going on? Why was everyone inactive?


	11. Just Friends

The following day, Samantha got back to work, even if she still had to do the same thing over and over. Amy was busy talking to her about how Sheriff Romero's house burnt down last night while she just nodded and gave a customer their drink.

"Sam, are you alright? You've been distracted today." her manager said.

"Hmm?" she asked while realizing that she was talking to her. "Oh! Sorry, Amy. I'm still weirded out about all the weird things happening here."

"It's alright. I take you're still not used to all this?"

"Yeah, also, my friends seemed to have gone out of commission. Like, they've gone completely silent."

"It's summer. People your age should be having fun. Maybe that's what they're doing." Amy said with a shrug.

"Do you mind if I quickly check on one of them?" Samantha asked as she pulled out her phone.

"Go on, but don't take too long. The next customer should be here…" she said.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this…_ Samantha thought, starting to text Norman.

 _Hey, idiot. What's with the silent treatment?_ she typed.

She then sent it and immediately went back to work.

* * *

After her shift that night, Samantha arrived home and grabbed The Fox and The Hound to do some reading. She checked her texts again, but found no responses. What's that idiot been up to?

Samantha shook her head and wondered why was she even bothering with thinking about him. She had no idea that she missed talking with him and Emma so much before coming to the realization that she should spend some time with them.

 _Amy's right. Seventeen and eighteen year olds like me and my friends should be out having a good time in summer. I should tell her that I'm taking tomorrow off._ Samantha thought while texting her.

Finally, she was going to spend some time with her friends…

* * *

 **The next day…**

Samantha fixed her hair one last time in the mirror before stepping outside of her house, knowing that all she had to do was find her best friend and that annoyingly innocent boy who gave her the fox.

She decided to take a bit of a walk by the motel, only to get almost run over by some car that sped by.

"Hey! Watch it!" Samantha said.

The driver didn't respond and just sped on ahead, making her roll her eyes in annoyance. She leaned against the pole where the sign was and began texting her friends. Where were they?

With a groan, Samantha put her phone away and walked away from the motel. Did she seriously take the day off for nothing?

Her best friend and the idiot who spent time with them were off probably having fun without her. She sent a few other texts to them, hoping to get a response from either.

 _Ugh, what's freaking up with them_? Samantha thought after some time had passed.

"Why did I even bother wasting my time?" she asked herself in annoyance before starting her walk home.

Suddenly, her phone rang as she reached the front door. She answered it and took a deep breath.

"What?" Samantha asked.

"Hey, Sam. It's Emma. I'm so sorry that I didn't respond to your texts. Some really messed up things happened." Emma said on the other end.

"Like?"

"I almost died."

Samantha froze in fear. Her best friend almost died and she wasn't there to help her.

"Oh my god…Emma, I'm really sorry…" she said.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine now." her friend told her. "You're a good person, Sam."

"Uh, thanks. How's Norman?"

"Oh, so NOW you're concerned about him? From what I heard, he's with the Sheriff."

"What did that idiot do?" Samantha asked with a groan.

"It was self-defense and an accident, according to what I heard." Emma said.

 _Who would've thought that Bates was a tough guy?_ she thought while walking inside her house.

"Hey, Sam, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, shoot me one, Emma."

"Do you like Norman?"

"Me? And that idiot? Hell no!" Samantha asked.

"Well, I've seen the way he looks at you and how he talks about you a lot." Emma said. "He has sometimes accidently called me Sam."

"Oh my god, Emma! Shut up! I only like him as a friend, even if he acts like a stupid puppy!" she said.

"Whatever you say, Sam…"

"I don't have a crush on him, I swear!"

"Yeah right! I have to go. See you tomorrow." Emma said, scoffing.

"Bye, Emma." Samantha said before hanging up.

The last half of their conversation reminded her about how Zack asked the same question. She still didn't like Norman, and only saw him as a friend and nothing else. Nothing was going to change that for her…


	12. Taking It Further

"Remember when Blair Watson died?" Amy asked Samantha as she took an order from a customer.

"Yeah, hard to believe it only happened four months ago…" Samantha said with a nod, making the drink and giving it to the customer.

"I'd hate to be that person, but they found this unidentified sample in her."

"Go on…"

"The other sample came from this drug dealer. They say that she was with almost every man in town. It could be anyone!" Amy said.

"Basically, every man in town's a suspect?" Samantha asked.

Amy nodded in response before she returned to work. The day just went on as normal, but Samantha couldn't stop thinking about how things continued to escalate in town.

White Pine Bay was getting weirder with each day and she felt powerless to stop it.

* * *

 **After her shift…**

Samantha anxiously paced around outside her house, feeling worried. She knew that she was probably overreacting, but she needed to find a way to stop all this insanity.

Running her hands through her hair, she took a deep breath and quickened her pace before bumping into someone.

"Sam? Are you alright?" Norman asked after she crashed into him while keeping his arms around her waist to prevent her from falling over.

"Oh, NOW you decide to talk with me, huh?" Samantha said, groaning upon noticing that he was holding her and that she had her arms around his neck. "Real charming, Bates…"

"I'm so sorry that I haven't answered your texts, Sam. A lot of things keep coming up for me."

"That's understandable…doesn't help that you're still an idiot though. Now, let go of me, you moron!"

He immediately let go of her, apologizing as she rolled her eyes at him. Samantha glared at him and brushed her hair out of her face while grumbling that he was an idiot and stepping an inch away from him after she let go.

"So, are you still up for hanging out just the two of us?" Norman asked as he fidgeted with his shirt sleeve buttons.

"You remembered, eh? You're not as dumb as I thought." Samantha said while crossing her arms.

"Is there something bothering you, Sam? You seem a bit worried."

"Look, idiot, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me."

 _Well, there goes that compliment on how I'm not as dumb as she thought._ he thought.

"Just tell me. I can help you." Norman said. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"I don't really need YOUR help, but since you're so damn determined to be of my assistance, I'll spill: I'm just really worried about the weird stuff in town." Samantha said, looking away from him once she told him.

Impulsively, he moved her head towards his direction and they looked in each other's eyes as he said, "I'll be sure to protect you, I swear."

"I don't need protection. I can handle myself." she said with a huff.

 _Idiot…_ Samantha thought.

"You're strong, Sam. I've always loved that about you." Norman said before grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips.

She blushed and took a deep breath, shaking her head. Deep down she appreciated the comment since someone for once liked her toughness instead of judging her like her parents and everyone else from Seattle did.

"You're such a—" Samantha began to say, only to be kissed by him.

Her eyes widened upon impact as Norman held her close and she began running her fingers through his hair. Secretly, she waited for this moment for a long time. Maybe Zack and Emma were right…she DID like him.

Samantha pulled away and began playing with her braided hair as she looked in the direction towards the front door to her house. Norman couldn't help, but giggle slightly at her reaction.

 _She's so cute when she's flustered._ he thought.

Still taken back from the kiss, she grabbed him by the hand and dragged the brunette into her house, leading him upstairs to her room.

Samantha slammed the door behind them once they got inside. Norman realized what was she wanted and nodded in understanding before clearing his throat.

"Uh, Sam, have you ever…you know?" he asked.

"No, not really, but I know how it works." she said. "What about you, Bates? With looks like that, you must be really popular with the ladies."

"I've…experimented a bit, but I've only seen the ones I was with as friends and nothing else."

"Uh huh."

"But they're nothing like you. When I first moved here, all the girls wanted to be with me, except for you. You were the only one who didn't act like they did."

"I appreciate it." Samantha said.

"Thank you. Emma was right, you're actually a nice person." he said.

For the first time ever, she smiled at him before shoving him onto her bed and climbing on top of him.

"Well? Ready, idiot?" Samantha asked him, undoing her braid and letting her hair come down before grabbing onto his wrists.

Norman still couldn't believe how much she looked like his mother when she had her hair down, but part of him enjoyed this. Slowly, he nodded in response.

"I promise that we can stop if you feel uncomfortable…" he said as he moved some of her hair out of her face.

"Me? Uncomfortable? I'm not even nervous, you idiot!" Samantha said, scoffing as she let go of his wrists and took off her shirt.

Her body had several scars scattered around in random places and she had a nicotine patch on one of her hips. Norman didn't question it, still finding her beautiful regardless of the patch and her scars while taking off his own shirt.

Almost immediately, they began making out before taking this moment further…


	13. Testing, Testing

The next few days were surprisingly uneventful for Samantha, except for the occasional news Amy gave her regarding some drug war that was happening as they worked. After her shift, she would just go home and do some reading while occasionally breaking away to text her friends.

One day, she met with Emma after work and the two decided to catch up on everything that had been happening so far in their lives.

"I'm thinking about quitting my job at the motel." Emma told her.

"What? I thought you liked working there." Samantha asked in shock.

"I know, but it's a family business, and I feel like I just don't fit in."

"That must suck even if you're a family friend to them. Got any other ideas for a job?"

"Not really, I'll think about it though." Emma said while running her hands on the handle of her oxygen machine. "Remember that guy I told you about? The one I've been seeing ever since Bradley's memorial service?"

"The druggie? I believe so, yeah." Samantha said, nodding.

"I slept with him." she said.

"Really?" Samantha asked. "I never thought you would do that, no offense."

"None taken. What about you, Sam? Are you seeing anyone lately?"

"Not really, Emma…"

"Come on! You're my best friend. If you're embarrassed to say it, I swear that I won't tell anyone else."

"Fine, you win." Samantha said with a groan before gesturing her to move closer. "A few days ago, I might have slept with Norman..."

Emma gasped, covering in her mouth before saying, "I knew you liked him!"

"What?! Emma, I still DON'T like him. It just…happened." Samantha said in surprise.

"Yeah right! These things don't just happen, Sam." Emma said, scoffing.

"Shut up! Speaking of Norman, I haven't heard from him for a while. Is he alright?"

"I haven't seen or heard from him either sadly. His mom kept avoiding the subject every time I asked her."

"What about Dylan? Have you seen or heard from him?" Samantha asked.

"I saw him, but he's having issues with Mrs. Bates and Norman, so he's been out doing stuff for his job." Emma said.

 _That explains why he's gone quiet…_ Samantha thought.

"And regarding about me sleeping with Norman, he's still an idiot to me. He'll always be that way."

"Whatever you say, Sam."

Samantha rolled her eyes at her. So, what if she actually liked him? He would continue being an idiot towards her anyways.

* * *

 **Later…**

She sat at her house reading Frankenstein while trying to keep her mind off of her conversation with Emma. Samantha wanted to take the psychology test that would be her final step towards getting into the police academy, but she was feeling unsure on how she would tell her friends.

Her thoughts were broken when her phone suddenly rang. Quickly, she snatched off of the nightstand where it was lying near the taxidermy fox and answered.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Sam, it's Dylan." her friend said on the other end.

"Dylan?! Oh my god, it's been forever since we last talked!"

"Yeah…you can say that…"

"So, how's your brother been? I haven't seen him in several days." Samantha asked him.

"He's doing…better." Dylan said hesitantly.

"Better? What do you mean by better?"

"It's a long story…"

"Dylan, tell me the truth, what did that idiot do?"

"I can't tell you, Sam. I'm sorry." he said.

"Ugh, whatever, Dylan. Keep your secrets." Samantha said with a groan.

"Sam, I know how important you are to Norman. He won't shut up about you. I wanted you to know that he's fine." Dylan said.

"Thanks for the update, Dylan."

"No problem, Sam."

With that, he hung up.

Suddenly, a text came up from Emma on her phone.

 _Good news, they found him, but Mrs. Bates is STILL dancing around the subject._ it read.

Samantha let out a sigh upon seeing Emma's text.

 _Thank god. And regarding Mrs. Bates' behavior, parents kind of suck that way._ she wrote.

Immediately, she got another text from Emma.

 _I guess…_ Emma wrote back.

Samantha returned to her reading while still thinking about taking the test, she was going to become a cop to right all of the wrongs that her brother had done…

* * *

 **The next day**

"So, only one more test, huh?" Amy asked as she watched Samantha put up her apron after her shift.

"Yeah, and after that, I'll be at the police academy soon." Samantha said.

"Officer Samantha James…I like the sound of that." Amy said while cleaning the counter. "Good luck, Sam."

"Bye, Amy." Samantha said, walking out of the coffee shop.

She started her walk to the police station, not believing how long ago it was since she took the GED and entrance exam…back when she was a hot-headed delinquent who had no future or friends.

Samantha laughed at how much she had changed, even if it was only by a little. She was still a hot-head, but she was getting slightly calmer.

Once she arrived, after telling the secretary at the desk that she was here for her test, Samantha took a deep breath before pulling out her phone to text Norman.

 _I know you probably won't answer, but I'm taking my psychology test. Wish me luck._ she wrote.

She kept her head held high as she walked in to take the test…


	14. The Second Circle of Hell

Months went by after Samantha took her psychology test, which she ended up passing. She was finally on her way to becoming a cop and decided that she was going to make the most of her time before heading for the academy.

One day, Samantha was nearing the end of her shift as Amy was busy cleaning the coffee machines.

"I can't believe you're getting closer to becoming a cop. This must be exciting for you." she said.

"Yeah, it's going to be great." Samantha said as she hung her apron up. "See you tomorrow, Amy."

She stepped outside and went to her car before driving back home. Once she arrived, the blonde fixed her hair in the car window and began walking towards the front door. Before she could open it, her phone went off.

"Yeah?" Samantha asked, answering it.

"Sam, it's Norman. I've got something exciting to tell you!" he said on the other end.

"What is it, idiot?"

"My mom gave me a promotion. I'm the manager now!"

"Really? Good for you. I honestly don't give a shit." Samantha said, not wanting to care about this news.

"Are you being sarcastic?" he asked.

"N-no! You idiot! I'm happy for you, I'm just…you're really stupid, you know that, Bates?!"

"Sam, it's alright. I'm glad that you're happy. When you're happy, I'm happy."

"Shut up, idiot!" she said before hanging up. "Ugh…why do I even bother?"

 _What am I going to do about him? He's so…ugh!_ Samantha thought.

She walked inside her house and went to her room, grabbing one of her books. Samantha began flipping through a few pages before she fell asleep.

* * *

 **The next day**

"Can't you believe that Sheriff Romero got in a bar fight?" Amy asked as she took an order.

"Not really. I'm barely surprised by anything at this point." Samantha said, handing a customer their drink.

"I'm guessing you're developing an immunity to this sort of thing." her manager said.

"Maybe I am." she said with a shrug.

Was she really getting used to all the insanity in town?

* * *

Nearby, towards the back of the coffee shop, Emma was busy fidgeting with her cup as Norman turned to the next page of Inferno.

"Since when did you become so interested in classical literature?" she asked him.

"I just felt like I should start reading this kind of thing." he said, shrugging. "I'm currently on Canto V. It's really interesting."

"Is it because Sam likes classical literature?"

"You can say that. She's your best friend and I like being with her."

He looked up from his book and stared at Samantha, who was busy working her shift. She moved back and forth from the machines to the counter while carrying some cups.

Emma watched as Norman began to ignore her and kept staring at her best friend. Taking his book, she waved it in his face to get his attention.

"Norman? Are you there?" she asked.

Unknown to her, the page to the book was opened to a passage that expressed her friend's current situation:

 _I reached a place where every light is muted,_ _  
_ _which bellows like the sea beneath a tempest,_ _  
_ _when it is battered by opposing winds._ _  
_ _The hellish hurricane, which never rests,_ _  
_ _drives on the spirits with its violence:_ _  
_ _wheeling and pounding, it harasses them._ _  
_ _When they come up against the ruined slope,_ _  
_ _then there are cries and wailing and lament,_ _  
_ _and there they curse the force of the divine._ _  
_ _I learned that those who undergo this torment_ _  
_ _are damned because they sinned within the flesh,_ _  
_ _subjecting reason to the rule of lust._

He pushed the book aside, staring at Samantha, who was finishing her shift. She placed her apron on the coat hanger and talked briefly with another woman he presumed was her manager before leaving.

Once she was gone, he felt his heart sink as he watched her drive off. Emma tapped him on the shoulder and held out his book to him with a concerned expression.

"Here's your book." she said.

Norman immediately snapped out of his love-struck trance upon seeing the book and took it from his friend

"Oh! Thanks." he said as he began reading through it again.

As he and Emma left the coffee shop, all that was on Norman's mind was a plan to figure out Samantha's every move. It was perfect to accomplish since he was now homeschooled. He needed to know when to visit her at work or at home.

The very thought of her sent chills down his spine as he stared at the passage that was on the page Emma had opened up to when she was trying to get his attention.

He now understood what the passage meant: the lustful couldn't restrain their desires and focus enough to gain control. It reminded him of his so-called mental issues his mother and Dylan claimed that he had.

 _I need her._ Norman thought.

Ever since they first met at the party, she was all he could think about as every girl or woman he met, except for his mother, was replaced with Samantha. The obsession was killing him from the inside.

All he knew was that everything will be alright once more when the moment that she belongs to him comes again…


	15. Shut Up

"Someone found this body at the marsh yesterday. Crazy, right?" Amy asked Samantha as they worked during their shifts.

 _How long has there since been a crazy death like this?_ Samantha thought, giving a customer their drink.

"Wow. That's something…" she said to her manager.

"I hope that once you become a cop, you can put an end to all this madness, Sam." Amy told her.

"Yeah, I feel the same, Amy. Here's the hoping that I can do that." Samantha said with a sigh.

The rest of the shift was spent in mostly silence as she thought about what she could do to improve the town as a cop.

* * *

 **Later** …

Samantha leaned against the pole where the motel sign was as she talked with Emma.

"What's with the fancy getup?" she asked.

"I just wanted to try something different." Emma said with a shrug. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything."

"Um, well…Norman and I went out on a date last night and I was wondering if you're alright with it. I know you two slept together, and I wanted to see if- "

"It's fine, Emma." Samantha said before realizing something. "Wait a minute, what ever happened to that Gunner dude? The drug guy?"

"It was just a summer fling. Nothing special." Emma told her.

"Norman's still an idiot though. I have no idea how he's going to change from being a dumbass to being smart for once."

"Well, he's having issues with his mother. I know that you're going to go in a parents suck rant, but I think you should go easy on him until the problem's solved."

"You know me so well, Emma…" Samantha said, scoffing. "And yeah, whatever, I'll go easy on him."

"That's great. You know, Sam, you're improving little by little on your personality as time goes on. There's slip ups here and there, but you're getting better." Emma said.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing. Well, I should get going. I have work to do at the motel."

 _So, she didn't quit._ Samantha thought.

"Then, I should go home. See you, Emma." she said before walking home.

Samantha walked up the steps to her house, but stopped upon hearing footsteps behind her. She turned behind her and heard rustling from the bushes. The blonde shrugged before going inside her house, not knowing that she was being watched…

* * *

 **The next day**

After her shift was done, Samantha spent her time pacing around outside and reading at the same time. Amy had told her that one of the guests at the motel had died from a gunshot wound, which made her concerned.

To make things worse, she saw Norma, the weird blonde woman who Zack liked, come in as a customer. Samantha tried her hardest to avoid her, but she had to put on a fake smile and go on with it.

 _Why am I even afraid of her still? The Summers murder was almost a year or two ago._ she thought.

Samantha looked up from her book at the house, still fascinated by it as she walked towards the motel and flipped through the pages.

"Hey, Sam." someone nearby said.

She jumped and closed her book, seeing Dylan standing there.

"Hey, Dylan. It's been a long time." Samantha said.

"Tell me about it." Dylan said with a laugh. "Look, I know that the last time we talked was a bad time and I apologize for that."

"It's cool. That was all in the past."

"Yeah. So, what's been up with you lately?"

"I'm planning on becoming a cop soon." Samantha told him.

"Awesome. I wanted to be on the force when I was kid, but now, I'm some sort of drug boss who's got an insane mother and brother. Fate's kind of funny that way." Dylan said.

"It has a weird way of screwing around with life, I can tell you that." Samantha said.

He checked his phone and groaned to himself while saying, "Damnit, it's my uncle. He and our partner need to get some work done."

"That sucks."

"It sucks big time. We'll talk another day, Sam."

"Bye, Dylan." Samantha said before returning to her reading as he left.

She continued her pacing until she felt someone tap her shoulder. The blonde jumped and turned around to see Norman standing there while giving her a suspicious stare.

"Look, Bates, I don't have time-" Samantha said as she kept her attention to her book.

"I don't want you to talk to Dylan anymore." he said, lowering the book down.

"Where the hell is this coming from? He's my friend, not my boyfriend. Dylan's like a brother to me."

"Oh, so now you're thinking that there's something wrong with me too?"

Samantha watched him start walking to the motel entrance and groaned.

 _Idiot…I can't believe I have to do this…_ she thought.

The blonde closed her book, running after him. She had no idea why she was going after the bane of her existence after he snapped at her for the first time.

Samantha threw the door to the lobby open and followed him into the manager's office.

"Sam, why don't you go home? I would prefer to be alone right now." Norman said with an annoyed sigh.

"I'm not going anywhere, you idiot. I KNOW that there's something wrong with you and you have to tell me." Samantha said while walking up to the desk.

"Everyone thinks there's something wrong with me! My own mother doesn't trust me and I got in a fight with Emma earlier today because of my so-called problems."

"Life sucks. There's NOTHING you can do about it, Norman. The world's a dark place sometimes."

Norman looked away from her after believing that he saw his mother in her place. He couldn't believe how cruel he was being towards Samantha since she was the only person he could trust at the moment.

"Sam, are you afraid of me?" he asked.

"Why won't you just listen to me, idiot?" Samantha said, groaning.

"I asked you if you're afraid of me…"

"Am I afraid of you? No, I'm not."

She placed her book on the desk and walked around it, approaching him.

"Don't come any closer to me, Sam." Norman said nervously. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"Look, Norman, you can't hurt me, not if I hurt you first." Samantha said as she threateningly punched her other hand.

Much to her annoyance and relief, he gave her a small laugh and said, "You can be so amusing at times."

 _What an idiot._ Samantha thought, rolling her eyes.

Impulsively, she grabbed him by his shirt collar and kissed him passionately. Samantha didn't want to do this at all, but she figured that this was the only way to get him to shut up.

The kiss was quickly over before they knew it as she said, "D-don't take it personally…I only did it for you to shut up."

"Um…you can feel free to do that whenever you want me to stop talking." Norman said as he grabbed her book from the desk and held it out for her. "Here. I would hate for you to leave your book in my office."

"Thanks." Samantha said, shrugging and taking the book from him.

With that, she walked out of the office and began her walk back home. What was she going to do about him?


	16. Dinner Party

The following day, Samantha was busy working her shift with Amy while feeling distracted from yesterday.

"And why are you so quiet today, Sam?" Amy asked her.

"I'm…not sure, Amy." Samantha said while giving a customer the drink they ordered. "Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotions, not to mention a bit awkward."

"Ah, so you're seeing someone? Tell me who it is." her manager said curiously.

"Me?" she asked. "No, I'm not seeing anyone."

"You're lying. So, do you like Mr. Mystery Man?"

"Oh my god, Amy! No, I don't."

 _First Zack, then Emma, now Amy? What's with everyone wanting to know if I like the idiot?_ Samantha thought.

"You can give me a description or a name. I promise I won't tell anyone. Scout's honor." Amy said while crossing her heart.

"I don't know, Amy…" she said, cleaning the coffee machines.

"I'll start simple: is he a regular customer here?"

"Not that I know of."

"Eye color? Hair color? What's his personality? Where does he work at?" Amy asked as she kept pressing questions.

"Shut up!" Samantha said while trying to hide her blush.

Unknown to both of them, a certain someone was watching her from the back of the coffee shop until she left.

* * *

She was relieved to be back home as she went upstairs. Her eyes widened upon finding her room a complete mess as if someone had broken in while she was gone.

"What the hell?" Samantha asked herself.

She began cleaning and reorganizing everything until she opened one of her drawers, coming to a horrible realization: her favorite scarf was missing!

 _Oh no…Zack bought me that scarf when he helped me get new outfits! Who did this?!_ Samantha thought.

The blonde kept digging through the other drawers, but there was still no sign of her scarf. Where did go? Who took it, and why?

"Ugh, bastard…" Samantha said with a groan. "Why would someone do this?"

She continued cleaning her room and noticed that the taxidermy fox had remained untouched during the robbery, making her feel suspicious.

 _Why wasn't this knocked down with everything else?_ Samantha thought.

She shook her head at that thought and wondered why she was even thinking about the present that idiot gave her. It was a kind gesture and she wanted to care less of it, but couldn't.

"Idiot…" the blonde said to herself.

* * *

 **The next day after her shift…**

"See you tomorrow, Amy." Samantha told her manager while leaving the coffee shop.

Outside of the robbery, she had also learned that some man was found dead in his car and that Sheriff Romero got shot, along with one of the people running for mayor, but it had no connection whatsoever to her scarf getting stolen.

As she drove home, all that was going on in her head was how odd it was that for the past year or two, outside of Zack's death, nothing happened to her until now.

 _You'll find a way to stop all of this once you become a cop…you WILL do something about the crime in this town._ Samantha thought as she parked her car once she got home.

The blonde stepped out and took a deep breath, still processing what happened yesterday. She couldn't believe that someone broke into her house and stole her scarf. It wasn't even very expensive, so what worth did it have to this person?

In frustration, she kicked her car and stormed off towards the motel, hoping she could talk out the problem with Dylan or Emma.

Samantha went to the sign's pole and punched it while hurting her hand in the process.

"Fuck! That hurts!" she said as she clutched her hand in pain. "Argh, why is this happening?!"

"Sam?" a familiar voice asked.

She looked and saw Dylan and Emma staring at her in concern. When did they start hanging out?

"Uh…hey, guys. It's not what it looks like…" Samantha said, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Did you have a bad day?" Emma asked her best friend.

"No, Emma. Work was fine. Yesterday, I got robbed and the bastard stole my favorite scarf." she said while pacing.

"This is all because of a stolen scarf?" Dylan asked suspiciously.

"It wasn't any scarf. My brother gave it to me when I first moved here." Samantha told him.

Dylan felt his heart stop, knowing that Zack was her half-brother and that he had to kill him to defend his insane family, who happened to be getting worse and worse.

 _She can't know…_ he thought.

"If you're wondering how Norman is, well…" Emma said to her best friend.

"Yeah..." Dylan said with a nervous expression.

Samantha put her hands on her hips and stared at them. What was with the mood whiplash?

"Guys, I know that there's something you're not telling me." she said.

"Sam, we can't tell—" Emma began to say before noticing her father's car. "I have to go, sorry."

"Tell your dad I say hi." Samantha told her as she watched her best friend leave.

Once she was gone, Dylan turned to his friend and returned to the conversation while saying, "We can't tell you, Sam. It's a really, REALLY bad situation."

"I guess that would also explain that call a few months ago…" Samantha said.

"Yeah, exactly." he said, nodding his head.

She was about to speak up when she heard something move across the gravel parking lot, which made her jump.

"That was weird." Samantha said.

"Exactly." Dylan said before looking up at the house. "Hey, you're welcome to come over for dinner if you want."

"Sure, why the hell not?" she asked with a shrug.

He winked at her and went off to his car. Samantha took a deep breath, walking up the stairs to the house.

 _What's with all these stairs?_ she thought.

She thought that she heard someone walking behind her, but saw nothing when she turned around. The blonde shook her head and went up to the door.

"Here goes nothing…" Samantha said to herself before knocking on the door.

After a moment, an all too familiar blonde woman answered the door, which made her freeze in fear.

"Mrs. Bates!" the blonde teen said with a squeak in her voice.

"Can I help you?" she asked her.

"Yeah, I'm a friend of both of your sons. Dylan invited me over for dinner…" Samantha said nervously.

"I remember you! You're Deputy Shelby's sister." Norma said. "Come in, make yourself at home."

She nodded and looked around, feeling slightly creeped out by the house. All this time she was interested in this creepy nightmare of a building?

 _Way too creepy for me…_ she thought, entering the study.

Samantha went over to one of the book shelves and took out The Count of Monte Cristo. She had always been interested in reading it, so now was the perfect opportunity to do so…

She was about to read the part where Edmond met Fernand after being reunited with his fiancée, Mercedes, when she heard the front door open.

Samantha put the book down and ran to the living room where she saw Dylan and Emma with a man that she didn't recognize.

"Hey, guys." she said to her friends before turning to the new guy. "Who's this?"

"Oh, uh, Sam, this is my uncle. Caleb, this is Sam. A friend of mine." Dylan said while gesturing between the two of them.

"I heard a lot from Dylan. Pleasure to meet you, Caleb." Samantha said as she shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sam. Dylan's told me about you during work." Caleb said with a smile.

"Your uncle's a nice guy." she told her friend.

"I was unsure of him at first, but yeah, he's good." Dylan said.

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

When dinner started, Samantha sat next to Sheriff Romero and immediately began a conversation with him about her future career as a police officer.

"I admire your determination in correcting what your brother had done, Sam. You'll be great." he told her.

"Thanks, Sheriff Romero. I appreciate it." she said while eating her salad. "All I want to do is end all this insanity in town and bring honor to the James-Shelby family name again."

"That's good. I hope to possibly teach you in everything I know when it comes to being a cop."

"I would LOVE for you to take me under your wing, Sheriff."

"Please, Sam. Just call me Alex." Sheriff Romero said to her in a reassuring tone.

"Alright then…Alex." Samantha said while nodding her head.

The two immediately continued discussing their plans of private training sessions before she leaves for the academy.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the other side of the table, Norman glared at the love of his life having an exciting conversation with the sheriff.

 _Why didn't she sit next to me?_ he thought.

He turned towards where his mother sat and saw her talking to her brother, the bastard who violated her in the past…and getting along with him.

It made him sick to his stomach as he pushed his plate aside while turning his attention to Dylan and Emma, who were busy getting to know each other.

Norman ran his hands through his hair in frustration as no one paid attention to him. Everyone acted as if he never existed at all and it was driving him insane. Why wasn't anyone talking to him?

He wanted to scream, but knew that his mother would once again believe that there was something wrong with him if he did. The brunette teen had to bite his hand to prevent himself from losing his mind in front of everyone.

He didn't want Samantha to see him like this as he stared at her. No one else mattered to him, except for her and his mother. The incredibly close resemblance they shared made his heart race as he had his muscles relax while keeping his focus on her.

 _Before she leaves, I'll tell her how I feel about her. I hope she feels the same way._ Norman thought.

He looked away from her and continued eating his dinner, still obsessing over her.

* * *

After dinner was done, everyone began leaving the house and started heading to their own homes or staying behind. Samantha walked towards the door, but before she could open it, Norman immediately grabbed her hand.

"What's up, Norman?" she asked him.

"We need to talk." he said while leading her into the study.

Norman took a breath and told her, "Sam, I have something important to tell you…"

"I've also got something to tell you."

"Ladies first."

"Okay then…Norman, this takes a MAJOR load of courage to say this and I want to say it way before it's time for me to leave for the police academy." Samantha began to say.

"Go on…" he said as he nodded.

"Look, you idiot! I'm in love with you!" she said before sighing once she was done yelling.

"Sam, I've felt the same way about you ever since we first met at the party." Norman said. "I wanted to tell you that I love you as well."

Samantha covered her mouth in surprise at this and asked, "You really mean it?"

"Of course, Sam." he said as he embraced her.

"You're an idiot…" Samantha said. "You're my idiot."

With that, they kissed. She felt relieved to get her feelings off her chest since at least she had one thing she wanted to get done before leaving for the academy.

Norman wanted to stay like this forever, he finally had her again and she was NEVER going to leave him. Everything would return to normal once they start dating…

The kiss was then interrupted when they saw Norma standing in the doorway as she cleared her throat and watched them.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

They backed away from each other as Norman said, "No, not at all, mother. I was just saying goodbye to Sam."

"Yeah, I was just on my way out, Mrs. Bates. Dinner was great by the way." Samantha said with a nod while walking past her.

"Feel free to just call me Norma, sweetie." she said.

The blonde teen nodded and left the house, making her way down the stairs and towards her home.


	17. Accepting Love

**The next day**

"The sheriff is training you after your shift? Sam, that's great!" Amy asked excitedly.

"I know! Isn't it great, Amy?" Samantha said as she worked her shift.

She couldn't be any happier with her continuing to work at becoming a cop and the events of last night. Life was getting better for her, and Samantha knew that her old self would've laughed at anyone who told her that this was how her life was going to turn out.

"So, what about you and your special someone? Did you tell him how you feel? Was there a kiss?"

"Yeah, you can say that…"

"Oh my god!" Amy said happily. "Will you tell me who it is now? I still promise to not tell anyone."

"Fine." Samantha said as she began whispering it to her.

"No way! That kid? You and him as a couple?"

"Yeah, crazy."

As they continued their conversation, Samantha didn't know that once again, someone was watching her.

* * *

 **After her training**

"I got to admit, Sam, you're good at throwing punches. We need to work on fighting only when it's necessary though." Sheriff Romero said while wiping sweat off his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I've been fighting my entire preteen and early teen years." she said as she brushed dirt off her outfit. "It's hard to get used to trying not to fight so much."

"Understandable. We'll go over shooting practice tomorrow."

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks."

Sheriff Romero nodded and watched her get into her car. To him, she seemed like she was going to be a valuable member to the force…

* * *

The following day, after her shift and training, Samantha stepped inside her home when she got a text from Emma.

 _Norman and I aren't dating anymore. He's all yours, Sam._ it read.

She took a deep breath and began to write back.

 _Thanks, Emma. And I'm so sorry about your condition. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea it was worse than I imagined…_ she wrote.

The blonde sighed before Emma replied to her message. She was so glad to have her as her best friend.

 _No problem, Sam. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm also going to visit Dylan._ her friend responded.

Samantha smiled upon seeing her friend's name in the text and began writing.

 _Cool, tell him I say hi._ she wrote.

The blonde teen shut off her phone and went to her room, deciding to look for her scarf again. Maybe it was somewhere she forgot to look in? She continued her search by looking under her bed, in and under her book shelves, and in her closet, but couldn't find it.

"Damnit!" she said under her breath.

 _So much for that…where IS my scarf?!_ Samantha thought.

With a frustrated sigh, she took a step outside and tried to think about where the scarf could've gone. Her thoughts were quickly broken when her phone went off, making her jump as she pulled it out.

"Yeah?" she asked in worry.

"Sam, are you alright? It's me…it's Norman." he said on the other end.

"Norman?! Good lord, you scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to call you while I'm working on this taxidermy piece."

"It's fine. So, I heard you and Emma broke up…" she said.

"Yeah, she said that it would be better if we remained friends." Norman said to her. "At least we can spend time together just you and me."

"That…would be great. So, want to hang out sometime? This time, it'll be a date, not like last time where it was just a…friendly hangout." Samantha asked, remembering when she slept with him.

"Sam, I would love that very much. I'm almost done with this owl I'm working on, he's a beauty."

"Send me pictures once your owl is finished! I can't wait to see him!"

"Alright, I promise." he said, laughing until he heard the door to the basement open nearby. "My mom probably wants me for something. We'll talk some other time. Love you, Sam."

"I love you too, Norman. Can't wait to hang out." Samantha said with a smile before hanging up.

 _Should I tell him about my scarf? Maybe he could help me find it…_ she thought while taking a deep breath.

The blonde moved her bangs out of her eyes and cursed to herself for being so stupid about worrying over something as little as a scarf going missing when she should instead focus on her training sessions and shift, but finding it again would mean the world to her.

Samantha then decided that she WILL tell him about it when they hung out. Sure, she was being ridiculous, but he would be completely on board with helping her. It would be perfect to ask him.


	18. Official Date

**After her shift…**

Samantha growled as she hit the punching bag while Sheriff Romero watched her practice. Her shift had gone well like it usually did, but surprisingly, Amy didn't have any news to share with her.

"Sam, I'm really sorry that we couldn't spar today. It's because of…this." he said as he gestured to his arm in a sling.

"It's fine, Alex. I'm cool about this." she said, taking her boxing gloves. "Besides, I probably have a date coming up."

"You're dating someone? Who?"

"Well— "

Suddenly, her phone rang. She held up her hand to the sheriff, who nodded in understanding, and went outside, answering the phone.

"What is it, Norman? I was busy training." Samantha asked.

"It's my mom. She was trying to throw out my taxidermy while once again thinking there was something wrong with me." he said, groaning.

"Parents suck, plain and simple." she told him. "And if you were wondering about the pictures, yes, I got them."

"That's amazing! What are your thoughts?"

"It looks really nice. I'm impressed on how you do this sort of thing, but I really, REALLY have to go. You caught me at a bad time…I love you."

"Oh, I'm so sorry that I did, Sam. I love you too. We'll talk some time during our date."

With that, she hung up as Sheriff Romero approached her and said, "Um, you're free to go home if you want. We'll train again tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Alex." Samantha said before getting in her car and driving home.

* * *

 **The next day**

"Nothing special yet?" Samantha asked while working her shift.

"Yeah, looks like things have gotten calmer for once." Amy said with a slight laugh before noticing her look at her texts. "Seeing if your boyfriend has been texting you?"

"Exactly. He sends me photos of the taxidermy work he does."

"So, he sends you pictures of dead animals? Don't you think that's a little weird?"

"Not really. Remember, I was living with Mr. Decody after my brother died." Samantha told her manager.

"You have a point there. He works on a lot of taxidermy." Amy said, nodding.

The blonde just continued working until her shift ended. At least things seemed normal once more…

* * *

After training, Samantha checked her reflection in her phone one more time as she fixed her hair and sat in a booth at the diner.

She was slightly nervous about her first official date while dusting off her outfit, which consisted of a dark purple shirt with a leather jacket over it, magenta pants, and a black choker with silver spikes around her neck.

Immediately, she jumped when a text popped up from Emma.

 _Dad says I'm at the top of the list for my transplant._ it read.

She smiled and began writing back.

 _Emma, that's great! I wish you the best of luck._ she wrote back.

With a relieved sigh, Samantha put her phone down and began waiting for her date to show up. Some minutes passed before Norman finally showed up.

"Sorry if I'm late…a lot of things were coming up…" he said while taking a seat across from her.

"No, it's fine." she told him before noticing that he was tapping on the table. "What's wrong? You seem distracted."

"Me? Distracted? No, I'm fine. It's fine..."

"Try to relax, Norman. You're going to be alright."

He nodded and began trying to relax, but kept seeing his mother in Samantha's place. Samantha raised an eyebrow at his unusual behavior, wondering what was wrong with him.

 _Should I ask him about the scarf now?_ she thought.

"Uh, can I ask you something?" Samantha asked.

"Feel free to ask me anything." Norman said while holding her hands.

"I lost my scarf. It's the one Zack gave me. You know, the magenta one."

"Didn't you wear it last week?"

"Yeah, but some idiot robbed me. He or she made my room a complete mess and stole it, but the fox you gave me somehow remained untouched." she said.

"Why would anyone do this?" he asked before feeling his anger rise. "Who did it? I'll kill them!"

"Don't go picking fights, only battle when it's necessary." Samantha told him.

"What?"

"Something Sheriff Romero taught me. Now, could you tell me what's really wrong with you?"

Norman looked away from her, once again seeing his mother sitting across from him where Samantha was sitting.

"We're dating, aren't we? There's NOTHING for you to be afraid of." she said.

"My mother wants to send me away to some institution." he said, biting his lip.

"Does she think that you have problems again?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're welcome come to my place every time you and your mom have problems. As I always say…" she began to say.

"Parents suck?" Norman asked while guessing.

"Exactly." Samantha said with a nod. "Remember, you're always more than happy to come over."

"Um…alright then. I would love that." he said, forcing a smile on himself.

Part of her knew that there was something wrong with him, but she shook her head and decided to not question him further.

* * *

 **That night**

Samantha paced around her living room as she checked her texts. Why hadn't he been responding? She was dressed in her pajamas with a purple bathrobe over them.

 _Why won't he answer my texts?_ she thought.

She groaned and placed her phone down on the coffee table before grabbing her books to do some reading. Impulsively, she kept picking up her phone with every page she turned in her book and began writing up a text.

 _Are you alright? Why aren't you picking up my texts? Please, write back..._ Samantha wrote.

The blonde waited while getting back to her reading, but no responses came up.


	19. Missing

"That Bob Paris fellow went missing last night. The sheriff and his crew drove him out of town." Amy said to Samantha, who seemed distracted and not working on her shift. "Sam, are you alright?"

Samantha jumped and asked, "Hmm? Oh, I'm alright. Just…thinking."

"About your boyfriend? How has he been?"

"He hasn't answered any of my texts. I remember seeing Dylan putting up missing posters of him around the motel. I'm really worried."

"Oh…that's a shame. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him." Amy said.

"Thank you, Amy." Samantha said with a sigh. "I'm going home early today and cancelling my training with Sheriff Romero. See you tomorrow."

"I hope you find him, Sam." her manager told her as she left.

* * *

Once she arrived home, Samantha was almost to the door when she felt someone tap his shoulder. She turned and saw Norma standing there with a concerned expression.

"Oh god! Norma!" she said in fear.

"Sam, I know how close you are with my son. Did he say anything to you before going missing?" she asked her.

"No, he didn't answer any of my texts since last night. We did go on a date yesterday, but he seemed a little…distant."

"Of course…" Norma said to herself before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I really need to find him."

"Good luck, I hope he turns out to be fine." Samantha said while watching her leave.

Right at that moment, her phone rang and she picked it up.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Hey, Sam. It's Dylan." her friend said on the other end.

"Oh! Hey, Dylan. How's Emma? Did they start the transplant?"

"Yeah, she's in surgery now. I'm in the lobby with her dad."

"Thank god, I hope she turns out alright." Samantha said with a sigh.

"Me too…can I let you in on a little secret, Sam?" Dylan asked her.

"Sure thing. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Alright, yesterday, I kissed Emma."

"Hold up!" Samantha said as she held up her hand. "You and her? That's… great! I never would've saw it coming, but it must be really great for you."

"I have to go. Her dad wants to talk to me." he said.

"Tell me if she makes it through."

"Don't worry, I promise."

With that, she hung up and got a text from him.

 _According to him, the doctor said she made it through._ it read.

Samantha grinned and began writing back.

 _Amazing! Tell her I say hi and that I hope to see her again soon._ she wrote.

She then immediately went back to checking if Norman texted her, only to find nothing. Why wasn't he responding? What had happened to him? Did they even find him?

"Where are you, you idiot? I'm really worried about you…" she asked herself while looking at her phone.

With a groan, Samantha put her phone away and went inside her house. What else was she supposed to do now outside of her work and training? She couldn't sit around and worry a lot…

* * *

 **The next day, after her shift and training…**

After talking with Amy and Sheriff Romero about the situation with her boyfriend going missing, Samantha spent her time pacing around her room and reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which was she got as a gift from Dylan for her nineteenth birthday. She had also given up on looking for her scarf since no one knew where it was.

"Ugh, what to do…" she said to herself.

Before she could do anything else, her phone rang and she answered it.

"What?" she asked in a demanding tone.

"Jeez, SOMEONE'S a little feisty today…" Dylan said with a laugh.

"Real funny, Dylan. How's your brother been? He hasn't been answering any of my texts. Is there something wrong with him?"

"Well, they found him unconscious. He was in the hospital, but he's at home resting now."

"Oh thank god!" Samantha said in relief. "How's Emma? Is she doing alright?"

"Yeah, her body's responding well to the new lungs and she should be out a day or so from now. I've been updating her on how you've been." Dylan said.

"Great. Dylan, I'm sorry, but I've got a lot on my mind lately and I'm really, REALLY worried about Norman. I have to go."

"Oh…alright then. I'll keep informing you on Emma. See you around, kid."

Once he was finished, she hung up on him and placed her phone down before continuing her reading.


	20. Reunited Again, but Separated

_Another day of working my shift and doing training, but I STILL haven't heard anything from him._ Samantha thought while arriving home.

She had heard from Amy that some woman, possibly from another town, had gone missing yesterday. Her manager also mentioned that she had stopped by the coffee shop, but seemed to be in a hurry, talking about wanting to leave a present for her daughter before buying a drink and leaving.

"Why am I not surprised that this woman went missing?" Samantha asked herself as she walked up to the door, only to get a text from Dylan.

 _Hey, Emma's gonna be in the hospital for a while until she gets used to her new lungs. I'll tell her that you say hi._ it read.

She sighed in relief upon seeing the text and began writing back.

 _That's fine, Dylan. Tell me when she'll be out._ Samantha wrote back.

The blonde stood outside and was admiring the day until she saw Sheriff Romero near the house across the street while examining a giant hole that she never noticed before.

Curiously, she ran up to him and asked, "Hey, Alex, what's up?"

"Oh! Um, hi, Sam." Sheriff Romero said. "I'm just investigating the disappearance of that woman that went missing yesterday."

"I've heard. Do you need any help?"

"No, Sam, I'm fine…I also forgot to mention that I sadly won't be training you anymore. There's too much on my plate."

"I understand, Alex." Samantha said with a nod. "I'm going to find Norman. See you around."

She made her way to the motel and walked into the lobby, heading inside the manager's office and taking a breath.

 _Hopefully, he's here…_ Samantha thought.

She stood in the doorway, feeling her heart stop when she saw him working at his desk. He didn't seem harmed, which made her happy. What had happened though?

"Norman?" she asked.

Upon hearing her voice, he immediately stopped what he was doing and got up while walking up to her.

"Sam!" he said before pulling her into a kiss.

After the kiss, Samantha stroked his cheek and said, "I was so worried about you…they said that you went missing the other day…"

"But that's in the past. All that matters is that we're together now. I swear that nothing will EVER keep us apart."

"You're right…so, do you need any help around here?"

"Sure." Norman said with a smile as he went to the front desk to help some guests who had just checked in.

Samantha was going through the fax machine when she noticed some forms in front of the rest of the papers. She looked at the forms and read where the papers were from: _Pineview Mental Institution_.

"What's this?" she asked while holding out the forms to him.

Norman's eyes widened upon seeing the papers as he said, "Give me that."

He snatched the forms from Samantha and looked over them, gritting his teeth as he read further. His mother was REALLY planning on sending him away?

"Norman, are you alright?" she asked her boyfriend upon seeing his irritated expression.

He didn't respond while still holding onto the forms. Samantha felt worried as she waved her hand in his face to get his attention, but he didn't react.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong…" the blonde said, shaking him by the shoulders.

Norman still didn't respond to her as he walked past her as if she didn't exist.

Samantha ran out of the motel and walked home, looking back. Hopefully, her boyfriend was going to snap out of whatever problem he was having…

* * *

 **The next day**

She couldn't concentrate at work. Why would Norma want to send her son away to some mental institution when there was probably nothing concerning about how he acted? Samantha knew that there couldn't be anything wrong with Norman since he never acted insane around her.

"Sam, what's bothering you?" Amy asked her.

"It's my boyfriend. He was acting weird yesterday and his mother was having him sent away to some mental hospital." Samantha said. "My suspicion is that he was traumatized by the time he went missing before. The forms must have triggered something for him."

"Let me guess…he's never acted like this around you before."

"Exactly. He's the sweetest person ever, even if I found him overly innocent and annoying at first."

Suddenly, her phone rang as she saw that Dylan was calling her.

"Do you mind if I take this call?" she asked her manager.

"Go ahead." Amy said.

Samantha stepped outside and answered her phone.

"What's up, Dylan?" she asked.

"Hey, Sam. I'm going back in town to quit my job since Emma's dad wants me to do something else for a job if Emma and I were to…you know, get together." he said.

"How is she?"

"She's doing better. I know how much you miss her and she misses you back. I'll take her home in about a few days, so maybe you guys can hang out."

"That's…great. You called me during my shift though." Samantha said.

"Oh, I did? Sam, I'm REALLY sorry." Dylan said. "We'll talk again soon."

With that, he hung up while Samantha went back inside to finish her shift.

* * *

 **Later…**

Samantha returned home after visiting Zack's grave to tell him about how she was getting closer to the police academy. It helped her to get out all the stress of her boyfriend being locked up in some asylum.

She was reading in her room when she got a text for Emma.

 _Hey, Sam! It's been a while. Dylan's been catching me up on how you've been._ it read.

The blonde put her book down and grinned upon seeing the text from her best friend. She had missed her so much.

 _Emma, it's so great to hear from you! Dylan had also been telling me what's been up with you. He says that you've been getting better and better with each passing day since the surgery._ she wrote back.

Samantha waited for a while until another text came up.

 _How's Norman? Do you two still like each other?_ Emma wrote to her.

Samantha let out a sigh when her boyfriend was mentioned in the text.

 _He's…fine. We're dating now._ she wrote.

Her best friend immediately sent a text once she got the one the blonde had sent her.

 _Really? That's amazing! I hope things go well for both of you._ Emma responded.

Samantha smiled at the text and turned her phone off before returning to her reading.


	21. Keeping Secrets

The following day, after her shift, Samantha decided to head out on a walk to clear her head. She was still in disbelief over Norman getting sent away to the mental institution and wanted to get answers from his mother, even if she would avoid the subject.

The blonde was about to head towards town when she shook her head and decided to walk over to the motel to ask Norma about the situation. She walked into the parking lot, only to bump into Sheriff Romero.

"Whoa there! Try to be a little more careful, Sam." he told her.

"Alex, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on duty?" Samantha asked.

"Well, I'm on work leave, not to mention that I moved in here yesterday."

"Really? I was on my way to ask Norma about her son. He and I are— "

"So, you heard about Norman getting sent away?" Sheriff Romero asked as he dusted off his jacket.

"Yeah, but I don't get it. Why would his mother send him away? He hasn't been psychotic towards me." Samantha said.

Then, he took out a piece of paper and said to her, "Here's the address to Pineview in case you want to visit him."

"That doesn't answer my question…" she told him, taking the paper.

"It's best that you didn't know what's wrong with him, Sam. Just visit him whenever you feel like it."

"What's with the secrets? No one seems to give me a straight answer when I ask them something."

"Some things are just best left unsaid, Sam." Sheriff Romero said before checking his watch. "Why don't you go home? I need to do some work."

Samantha rolled her eyes at him and shrugged, walking back home. Why was everyone keeping secrets about her boyfriend?

* * *

 **The next day, towards the end of her shift…**

"Have you heard that the Bates House was ransacked? They broke a window and everything." Amy asked her.

"You're joking…" Samantha said, unsure how to respond to this.

"No, not at all. It's shocking, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

 _Norma must be throwing a fit._ she thought before taking her apron off.

"Sam, when do you plan on having your last day of working here?" her manager asked.

"Two days, Amy. Afterwards, it's off to the police academy for me." Samantha said as she fixed her hair.

Amy nodded as she watched her leave.

The blonde teen got in her car, but got a text from Dylan the very minute she stepped inside.

 _Meet me at Mr. Decody's shop. I've got a surprise for you._ it read.

Excited, Samantha immediately wrote back.

 _Awesome! On my way now._ she wrote.

She then placed her phone in the cup holder and started the car, driving the place she once called home after her brother's death.

Samantha parked her car and stepped out before seeing Dylan checking his phone while pacing. She walked up to him, elbowing him in the side.

"Ow!" he said while jumping in surprise.

"Did you miss me?" she asked him with a smirk.

"Are you kidding? Yeah, I missed you a lot!" Dylan said.

He put his phone in his pocket and ruffled her hair as she playfully rolled her eyes and laughed at him. Then, she noticed some movement near his car, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Dylan, I think there's someone over there." Samantha said.

"Oh, really? Look at that! Give me one moment, Sam." he said before making a gesture.

Emma stepped out from where she was hiding as Samantha's jaw dropped upon seeing her.

"Emma!" she said while running up to her best friend and giving her a hug.

"Oh my god, Sam! I've missed you so much!" Emma said before letting go of her.

"Well, ladies, I can't stay for long. I've got a job interview, so you two have fun." Dylan told them before getting in his car.

"Alright." they said in unison.

Once Dylan left, Emma led her best friend over to the table that stood outside near the door, taking a seat with her.

"So, no more oxygen tank, huh?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, it'll take a while to get used to, but it feels great not having to drag it around anymore." Emma said, smiling.

"I bet. What's been up with you and Dylan? I remembered him mentioning that you guys kissed."

"You heard, huh? Dylan's a sweetheart when you get to know him. We're planning on moving to Seattle together."

 _Seattle? My hometown?_ Samantha thought.

"That's fantastic, Emma! As for me, classes for the police academy start in several days from now." she said.

"Sounds fun." Emma said. "What about you and Norman?"

"Well, before I left at the end of that dinner party, we confessed our feelings for each other."

"Really? Good for both of you!"

"Thanks, Emma, but things have been a little…off lately." Samantha said.

"You don't actually like him or he doesn't like you?" Emma asked with a worried expression.

"No, it's not that at all! We love each other so much, and…ugh, forget what I said about things being off."

"I'm just glad to see you again, Sam. There's nothing to worry about."

"It's great to see you too." Samantha said. "I guess you're right, I shouldn't worry so much…"

"Exactly, life's going great for you." Emma said with a nod.

"I should get going. I really enjoyed spending time with you, Emma."

"See you around, Sam."

Samantha nodded and got in her car, driving home while thinking about her boyfriend and all the secrets everyone was keeping from her regarding his occasional strange behavior.


	22. Visiting Hours

After her second to last shift as a barista, Samantha parked outside of Pineview and gazed at the paper Sheriff Romero gave her yesterday to see if it was the right address.

She then got out of her car and stepped into the building, only to be greeted by the sight of the nicest mental institution she has even seen. It appeared cleaner and fancier compared to the asylums in the crime dramas and horror movies she had been watching.

"Um, can I help you, miss?" a worker asked her.

"Yeah, I'm visiting my boyfriend. He's a patient here." Samantha said, nodding.

"What's his name?"

"Norman Bates."

"Alright, I'll let him know that you're here." the worker said before leaving her alone in the lobby.

Samantha carefully scanned the area for her boyfriend as she waited, hoping to see him and immediately start a conversation with him. After a few minutes of looking, she finally spotted him and gestured her boyfriend to come over.

Norman was quick to spot her the moment he walked into the lobby and immediately walked up to her.

"Sam?" he asked.

"It's me, Norman. I'm here. You don't have to worry…" she said in a reassuring tone before giving him a kiss.

After they pulled away, Norman took a deep breath and said, "You have NO idea how much I've been missing you."

"You've been on my mind a lot lately. Why exactly are you here anyways?"

"I committed myself because my mother forced me into it. I didn't kill any of those people, she did and decided to blame me for it! Sam, you're the only person I can trust now."

"Did you tell anyone about this?" Samantha asked with a worried expression.

He didn't respond while looking away after hallucinating his mother in his beloved girlfriend's place.

"I…Sam, they think I'm crazy, but you know more than anyone that I'm NOT some insane lunatic." he said.

"Of course I don't think you're insane! You're the sweetest person I've ever met, even if I found you annoying at first."

"Thank you so much, Sam. I hope to hear more of your voice once I get out of here."

"You do know that I have to leave for the police academy in four days, right?" Samantha asked him.

"Oh...I forgot." Norman said upon coming to this tragic realization.

"We can still hang out before I have to leave. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

"Then, it's settled. I'm going to check on Dylan and Emma. Hopefully, I'll see you again once you're out." Samantha said as she gave him a kiss and left the institution.

As she got to her car, she took a deep breath while gazing back at the building and wondering why Norman was avoiding talking about the fact that his mother was behind some of the murders and disappearances in town.

* * *

 **The next day…**

It was nearing the end of Samantha's last shift as she hung up her apron and turned towards Amy.

"Hey, Amy?" she asked her.

"Yes, Sam?" Amy asked.

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You've been a great manager and an amazing friend."

"You're welcome. It was an honor working with you. Zack would be so proud of you if he were still alive."

They hugged as Samantha said, "Despite what he did, Zack was a good person to me, and I plan on correcting what he did wrong."

"You'll be a great cop, Sam. Remember to stop by whenever you're on break." Amy said.

"I will." Samantha said, nodding.

She walked out of the coffee shop and got into her car, driving home.

* * *

Later, Samantha parked her car in the driveway and stepped out when she saw Dylan carrying a few boxes in the motel's parking lot.

 _I should probably go say hi to him._ she thought as she walked over to the motel.

Samantha ran up to Dylan who jumped, nearly making him drop his boxes.

"Good god, Sam! Do you want me to drop these boxes?" he asked her.

"Sorry, Dylan," Samantha said before taking one of the boxes from him. "Let me help you carry those."

They carried them to the car as she placed the box she was carrying in the back of his car.

"Thanks, Sam."

"It's nothing. So, since you guys will be moving and I might not see you two again once I'm gone, mind if I tag along to help you and Emma out with packing?"

"Why not? Emma would be thrilled to see you. I also know that you'll be a great cop." Dylan said while getting in the car.

As they drove, Samantha noticed a book that her friend had placed in one of the cup holders.

"What's this? I never thought of you as the reading type." she asked him.

"I didn't think you were a reader when I met you either," he said. "It's got this letter inside. I found it Norman's room, but when I asked my mom what it was doing there, she said that she had no idea where it came from."

 _Why am I not surprised that's how she reacted?_ Samantha thought.

Once they arrived at Emma's home, she and Dylan brought the boxes inside while the blonde noticed that her friend kept a tight grip on the mystery book with the letter.

They walked in and began placing the boxes down. Emma walked in and gave Dylan a kiss as she placed some of her boxes near the ones Samantha and Dylan brought inside.

"Sam, I didn't expect to see you here." Emma said upon noticing her.

"Hey, Emma," Samantha said. "I was just here to help out since I'm leaving in two days."

"Is it because of the academy?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun."

"In case we don't see each other again, I wish you nothing, but the best." Emma said with a smile.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to always remember that," Samantha said, nodding before seeing Dylan gesturing her best friend to come over. "I think Dylan wants to talk to you."

Emma nodded and left Samantha by herself to text Norman and hope that he's released from the institution.


	23. Hostile Dinner

Samantha felt odd waking up and not going to do her job as she got dressed in a black shirt and black pants with a red choker. This was her second to last day as a civilian before becoming a cop, but she didn't know how she wanted to say goodbye to Norman in case they saw each other. Was he even out of Pineview yet?

"I'm almost there, Zack…" she said while picking up a picture of her and Zack on the nightstand.

Suddenly, she was startled by a knock at the door as she put the picture down and went downstairs to see who was there. Samantha opened the door and covered her mouth when she saw Norman standing there.

"Oh god, Norman!" Samantha said as she pulled him into a hug and kissed him repeatedly.

"Sam, it's alright. I'm here…they released me yesterday," he said in a reassuring tone, stroking her hair.

"They did?! That's amazing! We can spend more time together before I leave."

"I guess…"

He walked into the house and groaned, taking a seat at the counter while running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Norman? Are you alright?" Samantha asked as she sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"My mother has changed the house completely while I was away. The sheriff has also been spending time over there a lot too." Norman said with a groan.

"I've seen him hanging around your place, but I don't see it as a bad thing. You can still stay over if you want."

"Sam...I want you to come over to my home for dinner. All I want is to be with you before you leave for the police academy."

"I promise. Don't worry, I'll be there. You should do something to get your mind off of this mess you're going through." Samantha said while following him to the front door.

"See you later, Sam." Norman said as he gave her a kiss and left.

Samantha let out a sigh of relief, closing the door and feeling grateful that she could spend her penultimate day with her boyfriend.

* * *

 **Later, that night…**

Samantha winced slightly as she hit the wall hard while making out with Norman. Although she was afraid of her boyfriend's mother, the fact that Sheriff Romero was there calmed her and she felt more than happy to stay for dinner before she had to leave.

Upon seeing her reaction to hitting the wall, Norman stopped kissing her and looked away.

"Did I…hurt you?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine." Samantha said before checking the time. "We should probably stop since your mom probably already has dinner set up."

He nodded and took her by the hand, leading her into the dining room.

* * *

During dinner, Samantha couldn't help, but feel a little nervous regarding this being the last time she'll be with her boyfriend and his mother. At least Sheriff Romero was spending time with them…

"So, are you excited?" he asked her.

"I guess, Alex…" Samantha said.

"You don't need to feel nervous, Sam. I'm sure you'll do great." Norma said in a reassuring tone, which surprised her.

 _When did she get all nice? Is it because I'm leaving?_ Samantha thought.

"…I guess it'll be fun." she said with a shrug. "I've been working so hard to get to this point and become a cop."

"At least you get to spend tonight with us." Romero said, smiling.

"Us? Mother, is this seriously how it's going to be from now on?" Norman asked his mother in frustration. "HE'S going to be here permanently?"

 _What's going on with him?_ Samantha thought with a concerned expression.

"Of course, it is. He's your step father." Norma said.

"Step father?" Samantha asked while looking at her mentor.

"It's a long story." Romero said to her.

The blonde teen nodded in understanding before watching the argument unfold around either side of her.

"Mother, you DO realize that you blamed me for all the deaths that YOU caused and had me sent away to cover your tracks, right?" Norman asked.

"Not this again…you're being ridiculous." Norma said, shaking her head.

"I'M being ridiculous?! Even before dad died, you've kept me in your sights every single second of the day! But with this? When HE'S here?! I just can't deal with it!" he said while gesturing to Romero.

"Sam, I think you should just leave. We'll handle this." Romero said to Samantha.

"Yeah, I guess I should." Samantha said as she got up and left the house quickly.

 _This was supposed to be nice. Why is he freaking out?_ she thought, arriving home.

Samantha ran upstairs to her room and began to prepare for tomorrow.


	24. Unfair

**The next day…**

Samantha tensed as she pulled into the motel parking lot, knowing that she would have to sadly break things off with Norman before she had to leave.

 _You can do this, Sam…it'll hurt, but it's for the best._ she thought as she got out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde walked to the entrance to the motel's lobby and braced herself for the breakup. She waited for several moments until she saw Norman make his way to the door.

"You got this…" Samantha said to herself as she walked up to him and clear her throat. "Hi, Norman."

Seeing his smile broke her heart, but she knew that was better this way since moving on would help her focus on her training. She had been waiting for this day for a long time, even if part of her didn't want to do this.

"It's so good to see you, Sam." he said, pulling her into a kiss. "So, I'm guessing you're saying goodbye to me before you have to leave?"

She nodded and said, "Look, Norman, there's something I need to tell you…"

"Go on, tell me anything."

"This might be hard for you to take in, but…since I'm leaving for the academy, I was thinking that we should break up."

He was silent as she bit her lip in fear of what he might say about the breakup.

 _Please don't be mad, please don't be mad, please don't be mad,_ she thought.

"I understand. You'll be gone for a long time, and it'll make our relationship hard," Norman said as he brushed her hair aside. "But we WILL see each other again, right?"

"I hope so. I promise to stop by if I can." Samantha said.

She then pulled him into a kiss and slowly moved away from him.

"Norman, I wish you nothing, but happiness."

He smiled as he hid the fact that his heart was breaking and watched her walk to her car.

"And I wish you the best of luck, Sam."

She gave one last look at him before getting into her car and driving away from the motel.

* * *

 **That night**

First Samantha, and now his mother…with the departure and death of the two most important women in his life, Norman had lost everything. The only upside to this was that he finally killed Romero for getting in his way and no one has found the body.

Now, he was pacing around the living room and wiping tears from his eyes as he clutched onto Samantha's scarf, wanting to punch something and scream, but only managed to let out pathetic saddened breaths.

 _What will I do without mother?_ Norman thought, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

He pulled out his phone and opened it to one of the photos he had taken of Samantha while she was visiting her brother's grave. Soon enough, he ended up in a frozen state and just stared at the picture before his whole body racked with sobs.

Norman turned it off and placed it on a small table nearby while punching the wall with a growl. It wasn't long when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

He turned immediately and saw the hallucination of his mother standing beside him, appearing as she did before Romero's death.

"Mother?" he asked.

Suddenly, the hallucination took on Samantha's form as he backed up nervously. She still looked exactly like his mom even if he was just imagining it…

"Sam, please don't—" Norman began to say, watching the hallucination approach him.

"I'm here for you." she said.

He gritted his teeth and glared right at her. Then, he completely lost it.

"I don't care! You left me and everything fell apart when you did! My mother is dead and my brother left to start a perfect new life with YOUR best friend! I wanted you to stay, Sam! But you decided to make up for your monster of a brother's mistakes…"

Norman stopped to breathe as he glared at the hallucination, the tears flowing faster than before.

"I miss you as much as I miss mother…" he said under his breath.

Before he could continue, the hallucination was gone. Norman found himself staring at an empty space where she used to be and groaned while wiping the remaining tears off his face.

He looked down at the scarf before holding it close to his cheek. His expression changed from saddened to a twisted smile as he breathed in what remained of Samantha's perfume on the scarf.

As his heart beat increased in excitement, Norman Bates smirked to himself as he said, "She'll be back…"


	25. Officer James

**Two years later…**

 _I guess police academy really does change you…_ Samantha thought while fixing her hair, which was tied back in a bun, in the police cruiser window.

She was taking a break from patrol by getting coffee and meeting up with Amy again. Now, she sat in her police cruiser while having her drink and looking at her surroundings.

Samantha never thought she would miss White Pine Bay so much, even though she hated the idea of living there when Zack brought her here ages ago. She couldn't even believe how long it's been and that her parents still haven't even tried to contact her (to her, this wasn't surprising).

"I hope I'm correcting your mistakes, Zack…" she said to herself as she lowered the car window.

Samantha rested her head on the steering wheel before hearing a familiar voice next to her cruiser ask, "Sam?"

She looked out the window and saw Dylan on his motorcycle.

"Dylan?!" she asked. "It's been so long…"

"I know, right? Life's been going great for me and Emma, but I'm in town to…settle a few scores. I'd love to talk, but I need to do this. See you around."

"Bye."

With that, he drove off and Samantha made her way to the police station once he was gone. Once she got back, she gave her report to Sheriff Greene (who took Alex's place after his death) and went to her desk.

A voice suddenly asked her, "Um, excuse me?"

Samantha stopped what she was doing and saw a woman with two men staring at her.

"Can I help you three?" she asked them.

"Yes, my name is Lila Crane. My sister, Marion, has gone missing and I need your help in finding her." the woman said.

"And I'm Sam Loomis, Marion's boyfriend," the first man said to Samantha.

"My name's Milton Arbogast. I've been hired by Miss Crane to find her sister," the second man said.

Samantha nodded and listened to Lila. This was going to be her first big case!

* * *

"How long has it been since you've last seen her?" she asked Sam.

"A week. We were planning on getting married, but we didn't have the money because of my debt problems," he said.

"And it's been a week since I last saw her too." Lila said with a nervous expression.

"There's one detail that they're overlooking though, Officer James." Arbogast said. "Miss Crane is wanted for stealing $40,000 from one of her clients. We managed to track her here, but there has been no sight of her."

"I assure you that I WILL help you three find her." Samantha said.

"According to some sources, a worker at a car dealership saw her trading her car for another one and driving off towards the bypass," the private investigator said. "I plan on investigating the area myself."

 _The bypass…that's near my place, and the motel…_ Samantha thought as she wrote down the information and took a photo of Marion from Lila.

She put in the folder and said, "I'll look into this, Miss Crane, Mr. Loomis, Mr. Arbogast."

"Thank you so much, Officer James." Lila said with a sigh of relief.

Samantha nodded and continued her notes.


	26. We Meet Again

The next day, Samantha met up with Lila and Sam near the police station, but she noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Arbogast? I thought he was with you guys yesterday." she asked.

"He went to investigate the area near the bypass. After we left the station, he told us that he was going to check things out, but the next thing we knew was that he didn't return." Lila said.

 _That's awfully suspicious._ Samantha thought.

"I'm so tired of waiting around for Marion to just show up! We need to find her and Arbogast." Sam said.

"Mr. Loomis, I promise that we WILL find your girlfriend and Arbogast, these things just take time." Samantha said to him.

Sam rolled his eyes at this while Lila placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I trust her. If she can find both of them, we could all go home and forget this all happened."

"I hope so." he said with a sigh.

Before Samantha could lead them to her police car, Dylan suddenly ran up to her while calling her name. He stopped in front of her while out of breath.

"Dylan, what's going on?" she asked him.

"Sam, it's freaking crazy! He's…mentally ill and needs an institution. He tried to kill me." he said. "He hasn't even taken his medication!"

"Who, Dylan? Who tried to kill you?" Samantha asked.

Dylan hesitated and looked down, not wanting to say who it was.

"Tell me, Dylan. I have to know." she said.

"Wait a minute, sir, where did you come from?" Lila asked Dylan, interrupting the conversation.

"The area near the overpass. I have…family who lives over there." Dylan said while wiping sweat from his forehead.

Lila and Sam turned to each other, knowing that it was the same area where Marion and Arbogast went and ended up disappearing.

"How did you manage to get out of there without going missing? My girlfriend and this private investigator that was traveling with us went over there and never came back." Sam said to him.

"I ran like hell and rode my motorcycle back into town. Now, here I am with you guys." Dylan said.

"Well, outside of your family's house, what else was there?" Lila asked.

"My family's motel, which is on the same property." Dylan said.

Samantha froze in fear and backed away upon hearing that. It couldn't be possible…

"Officer James?" Lila asked with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine, Miss Crane." Samantha said.

"Let's stop wasting time and just go to this motel. That's probably where Arbogast and Marion went." Sam said.

Dylan couldn't help, but feel worried as he turned to Samantha and said, "Sam, be careful."

He quickly hugged her before walking over to where his motorcycle was parked and driving off. Once he left, Samantha gestured Sam and Lila to follow her as they walked to the police car together.

* * *

 **Later…**

Samantha parked the car in the motel's parking lot, stepping out with Sam and Lila.

"I don't live far from here," she said while pointing in the direction of where her house was.

"I honestly don't care about your life story, Officer James. Let's just get this over with." Sam said before storming into the motel.

"He doesn't mean to be that way. He gets very impatient some times." Lila said.

"I can tell, Miss Crane." Samantha said. "Remember, I will find your sister and the investigator."

"You're too kind, Officer James."

"I try my hardest, really, I do."

"You seem distracted ever since we got here, Officer James. Have you been here before?" Lila asked.

"It's a long story, but yes, I've been here before. You see, when I first moved here, I was a…troubled kid, so I lived with my half-brother, whose house was across from this place." Samantha said.

"Why do you know about this— "Lila began to say but was interrupted when Sam stepped out in frustration.

"Well, what happened?" Samantha asked him.

"He was being so uncooperative! He suggested that I'd leave his motel and told me to shut up when I pushed him further." Sam said before getting in the car. "Why don't you try to talk to him, Officer James?!"

"Miss Crane, get in the car. I'm going to have a little word with the owner," Samantha said to Lila.

Lila nodded and got inside the police car as Samantha walked into the motel. Memories came flooding back to her while she glanced at her surroundings.

With a deep breath, Samantha rang the service bell on the desk and braced herself to talk to her ex-boyfriend. This was going to be interesting…

"Shit, this'll be hard…" she said to herself.

 _Calm down, Sam. It's just your ex…he's the biggest idiot in the world, but you still ended up with him before the breakup._ Samantha thought.

She kept the phrase "he's just my ex" in the back of her mind right when she saw him step out and stare at her like he was a deer in headlights. It appeared that he didn't change much, only that he was slightly taller.

"It's been a long time, Norman." Samantha said, which broke the moment of silence between them.

"Sam!" he said as he hugged her.

She didn't know how to feel about being back, things…didn't feel the same, but she shook it off as just the shock from training so much and assisting on cases. After all, it had been two years…

"I missed you so much…"

"I missed you too."

She cleared her throat and said, "Anyways, I have a few questions to ask: I'm looking for these two people that disappeared around here. Their names are Marion Crane and Milton Arbogast. Any information would be very helpful."

Immediately, Norman tensed up and backed away from her as he made his way to the front desk and tapped on it. Samantha knew that it was a sign that he was stressed or worried about something.

"I didn't see either of them come by at all. I'm sorry, Sam." he said.

"You're stressed. I know that you tap on things when you're anxious…"

"I'm not worried about anything."

He looked guilty about something, but she couldn't figure out what the problem was.

"Is there something wrong?" Samantha asked him.

The tapping got louder as Norman shook his head in response, his blue eyes wide in fear. Samantha knew immediately that things WEREN'T fine at all.

"I'm fine, Sam. Really…" he said with a sigh. "Why don't you stay over tonight? My mother would be thrilled to see you again."

She bit her lip upon hearing that. There wasn't any time for her to do this since the case was too important to her.

"Not today, Norman. I'm sorry. We can talk next time."

With that, she left and drove away. Norman snarled to himself, watching the love of his life leave the motel and drive away in her car. He finally saw her again, but she just HAD to leave him behind again…


	27. The Terrible Truth

The following day, Samantha was reading at her desk when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Officer James, it's Lila Crane. We have a situation: Sam's gone missing." Lila said on the other end.

"What?! What happened to him? Did he say anything before he left?"

"He told me that he was going back to the motel to investigate, but I didn't hear from him after that…"

"Meet me at The White Horse Bar. We'll discuss this." Samantha said.

"Alright, I'll see you there." Lila said before hanging up.

Samantha immediately got up and put her phone away as she made a run outside to her car.

* * *

 **Later, at The White Horse…**

"One scotch," she said to the bartender before giving it to Lila.

"He just decided that he was going to take matters into his own hands and left that night after you dropped us off. The next thing I knew was that he had completely disappeared." Lila said to the blonde cop before she took a shot of her drink.

 _Another disappearance connected to the motel…this is really weird._ Samantha thought.

"If I remember correctly, he seemed pretty frustrated after talking with Mr. Bates since he was being uncooperative in giving information." she said.

"Exactly. He told me that he was going to give it another try." Lila said, nodding.

Samantha covered her mouth in thought to go over each of the disappearances that had been occurring. Maybe Norma knew about what has been happening since Norman was actively avoiding the subject?

She was about to speak up when she saw Dylan talking with Emma. When did she get here?

"…Typical. I tried to talk to him and all he did was shut me out and act cold toward me like old times." Emma was saying with a scoff. "What happened though? He was so sweet when I met him."

Samantha had never seen her best friend that annoyed before.

"Well, when I tried to talk to him, he tried to kill me and it wasn't really pretty. He needs to get help as soon as possible." Dylan said. "I couldn't even find those bodies either."

Samantha excused herself to Lila and walked over to where her old friends were. She cleared her throat several times until they stopped talking.

Dylan turned to her and said, "Hey, Sam."

"Oh my god, it's great to see you!" Emma said, pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah, it's great to see you too, Emma." Samantha said with a slight smile.

"Would you two like to join me? I'm working on a case."

"Sure, why not?" Dylan asked.

"That sounds fun." Emma said.

They returned to where Lila was as Samantha sat down with the couple at the bar and began to discuss the plan to find the three missing people.

* * *

Samantha and Lila got out of the police car as Dylan and Emma stepped off of his motorcycle after they arrived at the motel's parking lot. They formed a small circle and started their discussion.

"Here's the plan." Samantha said. "Miss Crane, Emma, you two check the motel while Dylan and I look in the house. If you find them, let us know."

Everyone nodded in agreement and after telling each other to be careful, they split up. Samantha began sprinting up the stairs to the house with Dylan following close behind.

She thought how funny it was that back then she was always out of breath after going up those stairs, but now, she was incredibly energized.

She and Dylan entered the house and looked around, figuring out what to do.

"You check the basement, I'll go upstairs." Dylan said before running up the stairs.

 _Basement?_ Samantha thought as she made her way down underneath the stairs.

The basement was the only place in the house she didn't remember seeing. Cautiously, she walked down the stairs to the basement and looked around, seeing that it resembled more of a bunker than an actual basement. Her eyes widened upon seeing a familiar blonde woman sitting with her back facing towards her.

"Norma, we need to talk." Samantha said. "Three people have gone missing at your motel and we can't find them anywhere."

She didn't respond and still stared at the wall as if she were ignoring her.

"Are you even listening to me?" Samantha asked, slowly turning the chair around.

What she saw shocked her: it was the lifeless body of Norma Bates staring at her with a blank expression and cold, dead eyes.

Samantha covered her mouth in shock, not believing what she was seeing.

"How do you like it?" a familiar voice behind her asked.

Samantha let out a scream and pulled out her gun, turning around to face Norman, who was holding a chef's knife in one hand.

"Norman? What's going on? What happened to your mother?" she asked.

"She died two years ago, it was an attempted murder-suicide. I thought you were going to help me through this rough time like what I did with you when Deputy Shelby died. But guess what? You. Weren't. THERE!" Norman said.

"Oh, Norman…I'm so sorry. I was at the academy, I didn't know." Samantha said.

"You're not sorry, no one's ever sorry."

"Norman, please. Forgive me."

"Did I tell you that I love you, Sam, and that I cannot live with you?" Norman asked.

Samantha was in shock, he was quoting Phantom of the Opera, but he had altered the quote.

"With some of my female friends Bradley, Cody, Emma, Madelaine…I imagined you in their place. You're perfect to me. You always have been ever since we first met. When you left me, you were all I ever thought about." Norman said as he watched Samantha turn away from him. "I prefer your hair down."

With that, he ripped off the tie that held her hair back, causing her bun to become undone.

"Norman, what the hell? Why are you doing this? This isn't like you at all!" she asked while still holding out her gun and turning back towards him to keep it pointed at his face.

"It's all for you, Sam. That's why I did all of this, including murdering Marion Crane, that private investigator, and Sam Loomis. I even got rid of Romero after you left me." Norman said as he moved closer to her. "Once I'm done with you, you'll be as lovely as mother."

 _He killed the only man I viewed as a father figure? That bastard!_ Samantha thought.

He then kissed her passionately, catching her off guard. Samantha's eyes widened as this happened since she was still in shock from what she had witnessed. Unknown to her, as they kissed, Norman held up his knife and had it perfectly targeted to her neck…

Suddenly, someone came out of nowhere and tackled him, causing him to drop the knife. Samantha immediately snapped out of her shocked state and saw that Dylan had Norman pinned to the ground. She then saw a familiar magenta scarf tied to his arm.

"Dylan, you saved my life…" she said in surprise. "And you found my scarf!"

"Thank me later. Handcuff him!" Dylan said while still keeping his brother down.

Samantha nodded and put her gun away, taking out the handcuffs she had on her and running over to where her psychotic ex-boyfriend was.

"Norman Bates, you are under arrest for the murders of Marion Crane, Milton Arbogast, and Sam Loomis," she said, cuffing him.


	28. Oedipus

**Several hours later…**

Samantha, Lila, Emma, and Dylan were standing a few feet away from a holding cell as they talked with a therapist about what had occurred at the house.

"Dylan, I wanted to thank you for saving me and finding my scarf." Samantha said. "Where did you find it anyways?"

"Hey, it's nothing, Sam. I found your scarf in a box that was in Norman's room. It was…weird." Dylan said.

 _It was in there the whole time?_ she thought.

"There's one thing I don't understand though…Why did Norman do this? He wasn't like this when I first met him." Samantha asked the therapist.

"Outside of recreating his dead mother as a split personality, he had developed a severely unhealthy obsession with you, Officer James. The reason behind this? Because you look like his mother." the therapist said.

Samantha held her breath in fear.

"Bates developed an Oedipus Complex with this attraction to you, but it had only gotten worse with the obsession while you were away at the police academy and the death of his mother." he said.

 _So, it's partially my fault?_ she thought.

"Sam, I know it's hard to take this all in, but you'll be fine. I promise." Emma said in a reassuring tone.

"Thanks, Emma." Samantha said with a slight smile.

"Was there anything else that led up to all this though?" Lila asked.

"Before all of this, Bates killed his father, but his mother covered it up as an accident." the therapist said. "After the death of her husband, Mrs. Bates became overprotective and possessive over Norman."

"That would explain why she was suspicious all the time…" Samantha said.

The therapist looked over at the holding cell and back at the blonde cop, saying, "You're probably the last person he wants to see right now."

* * *

With that, he left the four of them near the cell as they decided to process what had just been said to them.

"Even if my sister died, I wanted to thank you for trying your best to help me, Officer James." Lila said. "I should be going back home soon…"

"You're welcome, Miss Crane, and please, call me Sam." Samantha said.

"Thank you…Sam." Lila said before leaving her with Dylan and Emma.

"Isn't kind of funny how we absolutely despised each other when we first met, but I saved your life?" Dylan asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, weird, isn't it?" Samantha said with a laugh.

"Before we go, Sam, I want you to remember this…" Emma said. "None of this was your fault. It's…kind of sad actually how far he had fallen."

"I know. Thanks, Emma, Dylan." Samantha said to the couple.

They hugged as Dylan said, "See you out there, Sam."

"See you, guys," she said.

With that, the two of them left. Once they were gone, Samantha found herself alone as she gave a quick glance at the cell.

 _Emma was right. It IS sad how insane he had gotten…_ she thought.

Inside the cell, Norman snapped out of his split personality and looked around frantically since he last remembered standing outside at the back of the motel before ending up in here with everything else before that being blank in his head.

In a panic, he looked around and saw a familiar blonde walking away from the scene.

"Sam?" Norman said as he ran over and placed his hand on the glass that separated him from the outside of the cell. "SAM!"

Unfortunately, the cell was sound proof and no one could hear him…


End file.
